Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado won't seek reelection as Hochul's running mate

ALBANY — Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado announced Monday he won’t run for reelection as Gov. Kathy Hochul’s running mate in next year’s elections.

He wouldn’t say if he would challenge the Democratic governor in a primary or pursue a seat in Congress, as some of his supporters have urged.

"I am determined to be your voice in state government now and in the future," Delgado tweeted. "All options are on the table, and I will be exploring them."

The announcement comes as Hochul is mired in low poll numbers, including a 39% favorability rating and 44% job-approval rating in a February poll from the Siena College Research Institute.

Hochul issued a written statement through her communications director Anthony Hogrebe: Delgado "finally said out loud what has been obvious for quite some time: he is simply not interested in doing the job of the lieutenant governor of the state of New York."

Hogrebe said Hochul had already begun to find a new running mate.

"We will also be reallocating responsibilities within the administration to ensure that important initiatives that had been within the lieutenant governor’s office are no longer neglected," Hogrebe said. "Governor Hochul wishes him the best in his future endeavors."

Delgado said he first ran for elected office in 2016 "because I believed we needed more leaders in government willing to hold themselves accountable to the people — and only the people. I believe New Yorkers deserve this kind of leadership now more than ever."

Delgado was a congressman, a Rhodes scholar from Colgate University and a graduate of Harvard Law School. Delgado was the first Black congressman from upstate New York.

His place on the ticket offered racial balance and a progressive voice important to Hochul's 2022 campaign to win election to the job she inherited when former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo resigned in 2021 amid accusations of sexual harassment.

In July, Delgado underscored his growing independence from Hochul by being one of the first Democratic leaders to call for President Joe Biden to step away from his reelection bid, even as Hochul defended her ally in the White House.

Delgado is from Schenectady and lives in Rhinebeck.

Last week, Delgado also called for New York City Mayor Eric Adams to resign while Hochul ultimately decided not to remove Adams. Instead, Hochul proposed monitors and restrictions on Adams for the rest of his term, scheduled to end this year.

Top Democrats have accused Adams of making a deal with Republican President Donald Trump to follow his hard-line immigration policies in exchange for dropping a federal corruption investigation. Adams has denied wrongdoing and said he won’t resign.

"I serve with the governor," Delgado told reporters. "But I don't serve at the pleasure of the governor, right? I am my own person. I have my own voice."

Delgado’s decision further muddied an uncertain election for Hochul. In 2022, Republican nominee Lee Zeldin, now Trump’s head of the Environmental Protection Agency, came close to beating Hochul in the state dominated more than 2-to-1 by Democratic voters.

Veteran political strategist Hank Sheinkopf said many in politics won’t be surprised by Delgado’s decision.

"Lieutenant governor is a boring job," Sheinkopf told Newsday in an emailed statement. 

By Michael Gormley

michael.gormley@newsday.com@GormleyAlbany

Michael Gormley has worked for Newsday since 2013, covering state government, politics and issues. He has covered Albany since 2001.