Hochul's lieutenant governor reveals she's ghosted him for months as he plans Dem primary against her
Gov. Kathy Hochul has completely shut out her No. 2 even as the latter was technically acting governor Thursday.
Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado revealed he stopped speaking to Hochul months before he launched a Democratic Party primary run against her this week.
'It's been a long time,' Delgado said Wednesday at a campaign launch event in Brooklyn. 'Definitely months.'
Advertisement
3 Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado is running against Gov. Kathy Hochul for governor in 2026, he formally announced this week.
Paul Martinka
A governor's office source confirmed the cone of silence has existed for months and has worked both ways. For example, Delgado didn't give Hochul a heads up when he publicly announced he wouldn't run with her as LG in 2026, per the source.
What Delgado said in a recent interview was that a long-simmering rift between the two spilled into public view last year when the LG broke with Hochul in calling for President Biden to drop his reelection bid.
Advertisement
The revelation about the lack of contact came as Hochul was visiting Massachusetts for 'political meetings,' according to a spokesperson.
The governor's out-of-state trip should trigger a provision of the state constitution that makes the lieutenant governor acting executive while the governor is out of state — but Hochul's office seemed to ignore the provision and Delgado has no power.
'The plain language says that there's a succession automatically when she's out of state,' Cam MacDonald, general counsel at the Empire Center for Public Policy, told The Post.
3 Gov. Kathy Hochul disputes that Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado becomes acting governor when she leaves the state.
Paul Martinka
Advertisement
MacDonald admitted Hochul may have a case due to a revision to the provision in 1963 that stipulates the LG could take over not only when a governor is impeached or is out of state, but also when he or she is 'otherwise unable to discharge the powers and duties of the office of governor.'
'The language made it a little bit more gray,' MacDonald said.
3 Hochul has said that Delgado has no power when she travels out of state for events.
Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock
What's not so gray is that Hochul's interpretation of the law has changed now that her split with Delgado is public.
Advertisement
Back in 2023, while Hochul was out-of-state, she instructed Delgado to call a special election for the 27th Assembly District.
'As Governor Hochul is currently out of New York State, Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado issued the proclamation pursuant to the New York State Constitution,' a press release from the governor's office read at the time.
The proclamation declaring the special election was signed by Delgado.
A spokesperson for Delgado didn't return a request for comment Thursday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Ga. State Senator, gubernatorial candidate Jason Esteves visits Augusta
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – Democratic State Senator and candidate for governor Jason Esteves made a stop in Augusta at the Henry Brigham Community Center on Monday, Aug. 18. The meet-and-greet was hosted by State Senator Harold Jones II. It's part of Senator Esteves' statewide tour to build support for his campaign and earn key endorsements. During the event, he talked about what he believes Georgians are looking for in a governor. 'The thing is that Georgians are ready for a new generation of leadership,' said Esteves. 'They're ready for a governor that cuts through the chaos, that prioritizes our people, prioritizes Georgians, and makes sure that we're cutting the cost of living all across the state, but also investing in our families, investing in our dreams so that our children have more opportunities and what we have. So Georgians wants a governor that is going to focus in ourselves, focus on our families. I believe that a Democratic governor will do that.' The general election will take place on Nov. 3, 2026. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Yuba, Sutter, would join Colusa and wine country in redistricting
A map of proposed new congressional district boundaries in California released by the California Legislature shows Marysville and Yuba City leaving the First Congressional District if voters approve in a November special election, and joining a district that would include Lincoln, part of Roseville, much of Yolo County, and some of the best wine growing regions of Napa and Sonoma counties. The Fourth Congressional District would be the new home of Yuba, Sutter, and Colusa counties under the plan proposed by the Legislature in response to California Gov. Gavin Newsom's call for voters to consider a mid-decade redrawing of congressional districts to favor the Democratic Party to counter a move by the Texas Legislature to redraw the lines of five of its districts to benefit the Republican Party in the 2026 mid-term elections. Under the Legislature's proposed new boundaries, the existing First District, which includes all of Sutter and Yuba counties and most of the populated areas of Yuba County, and currently represented by Richvale Republican Doug LaMalfa, would be reshaped from a district with a 16 point registration advantage for Republicans to one with a 10 point registration advantage for Democrats. The existing Third District, which includes most of the foothill region of Yuba County, would also be redrawn under the proposal. The district is currently represented by Kevin Kiley, a Republican from Rocklin. The existing district leans Republican with a two-point registration advantage. Under the proposed new maps, the district is being redrawn with an eight point advantage for Democrats. To see maps of the entirety of the Legislature's remapping proposal, visit Solve the daily Crossword
Politico
8 hours ago
- Politico
Torres ‘underestimated' Hochul, now supports her
Presented by NY Offshore Wind Alliance MY EX-ENEMY IS MY FRIEND: Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres boosted his former foe Gov. Kathy Hochul today — celebrating her efforts to resist President Donald Trump and federal cuts to Medicaid as she paid a visit to his Bronx district. With the vast majority of the state's Democratic establishment behind her reelection campaign — and Torres, her one-time enemy, moving to her side — Hochul looks to be leaving Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado (her former-friend-turned-enemy) behind. Delgado is waging a primary challenge to Hochul's left in hopes he can tap into the energy that shot Zohran Mamdani to victory in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary — even though Mamdani wants a collaborative relationship with Hochul and little to do with Delgado's lefty insurgence. Torres — who announced last month he won't be running for governor after he spent eight months harshly criticizing Hochul — appears to also want peace. The House member and Hochul are in active discussions about a potential endorsement of the governor, a source close to the governor told Playbook. The person asked for anonymity to speak freely about sensitive discussions. Torres and Hochul sat next to each other at today's event, where the two electeds participated in a rally against slashes to Medicaid funding. 'Now is not the time for infighting; now is the time for unity under the leadership of our Gov. Kathy Hochul,' he said. Later, Torres told reporters: 'There might have been moments when I've underestimated the governor, and my message to Donald Trump is you underestimate Governor Hochul at your own peril.' 'Underestimated' is a vast understatement of Torres' rhetoric in 2024, when he spent the year teasing a primary challenge against Hochul and launching a statewide listening tour. Along the way, he called Hochul 'feckless,' a 'down-ballot disaster,' an 'electoral train wreck,' an 'accidental governor,' a politician who knows 'absolutely nothing' about communities of color and one half of the duo that made New York home to 'the worst combination of leaders in the country.' Today, Hochul said the people of the South Bronx were 'so blessed' to have Torres represent them, whom she described as a 'tireless fighter.' 'Politics is a business where you ought not be in it if you're going to take things personally,' said Jay Jacobs, chair of the state's Democratic party. 'The governor has demonstrated for a long time that she takes a very professional approach to things like this and will work with anybody that will work with her.' — Jason Beeferman FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL BURKE EXPLORING HIGHER OFFICE: Assemblymember Pat Burke launched a campaign committee this morning for an unspecified state-level office. 'We're just keeping our options open and looking to grow a little bit,' said Burke, a Buffalo Democrat in his fourth term. 'That's an exploratory committee, so we're going to explore.' It's not yet clear where there might be an opening for Burke. As things stand today, three of the four incumbent statewide officeholders are running for new terms in their current jobs in 2028 — Hochul will be seeking a new running mate, but it's unlikely she'd view an Irish Buffalonian as the type of lieutenant governor that could diversify the ticket. And the assemblymember does not live in the Senate seat that's likely to be vacated by Buffalo Democratic mayoral nominee Sean Ryan in January. Burke said that 'all options are on the table' for the committee, dubbed 'Burke Powers New York.' But didn't specify which office he might seek: 'We want to be prepared if and when the time comes,' he said. — Bill Mahoney From the Capitol INSURANCE PLANS: Hochul on Monday would not explicitly commit to supporting state-funded Medicaid coverage for more than 500,000 lawfully present immigrants in New York who will be kicked off the federally funded Essential Plan in coming months, due to Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act. A 2001 court decision found the state must extend Medicaid coverage to lawfully present immigrants who would qualify if not for their immigration status. That will cost the state about $3 billion annually once those New Yorkers become ineligible for the Essential Plan. 'I'm looking at the entire situation right now,' Hochul told reporters after her rally with Torres in the Bronx. 'We're working on that — what that looks like. We're committed to finding a solution.' Hochul said she will soon meet again with legislative leaders and state finance officials to address the law's impact on the state budget, which includes about $750 million in Medicaid costs this fiscal year for the group of immigrants slated to lose coverage. 'I believe we'll be able to find a path forward to deal with that number, and we'll let everybody know once that's completed, but next year's gonna be tough,' said Hochul. Becca Telzak, deputy director at Make the Road New York, an advocacy organization for immigrant and working-class communities, said every New Yorker deserves access to health insurance coverage. 'In the face of the Trump administration's attacks on our health care system, it is imperative that the Governor does not just look into the situation, but commits to ensuring that every New Yorker, including low-income individuals on the New York Essential Plan, do not lose coverage and can access affordable health insurance,' Telzak said in a statement to POLITICO. — Maya Kaufman ZELDIN TARGETS BATTERY STORAGE: Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin was back on Long Island to raise safety concerns about battery storage on Monday. Zeldin touted the importance of local authorities in permitting these facilities and lambasted New York's clean energy goals in comments to The New York Post ahead of his appearance. 'Legitimate concerns over emergency response and safety from lithium fires are being ignored in pursuit of impossible climate targets the state knows it cannot hit,' Zeldin wrote in an X post. Many local governments across New York have placed moratoriums or other restrictions on battery storage, a major concern for developers and policymakers looking to advance a decarbonized electric grid. The state doesn't have permitting control for battery storage systems, despite the EPA's claims. It does, however, have the ability to override local objections to large wind and solar installations or fossil fuel power plants. The Hochul administration considered putting large battery storage permitting decisions under the state Office of Renewable Energy Siting as part of her 2024 legislative agenda, but she ultimately didn't advance that idea. State Sen. Pete Harckham, who previously sponsored a measure to give the state control over utility-scale battery permitting, didn't prioritize the effort in this year's session amid local backlash. Zeldin, who spent five terms in Congress representing Long Island, appeared in Hauppauge, where Newsday says fire officials are fighting a proposed 79 megawatt battery project by Key Capture Energy. New York City Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa wants Zeldin to oppose a battery storage project in Brooklyn, where Sliwa plans an opposition rally Monday evening. The state's fire codes are the most stringent in the country and follow all recommendations made by the EPA, said Marguerite Wells, executive director for the Alliance for Clean Energy New York. 'We look forward to partnering with local fire departments through trainings and education regarding safeguards the industry has already instituted, demonstrating that this technology is safe and proven to keep the grid reliable and affordable,' she said. The federal concerns about battery storage come as New York rolls out major new incentives for the technology. New York lags way behind its rival climate leader California in deployment of lithium-ion batteries, partly because of a lack of subsidies to give developers certainty about potential revenues. The state won't meet a previous target of 1,500 megawatts of storage by 2025. Instead, the focus is on a 6,000 megawatt by 2030 goal. There are about 500 megawatts of storage currently installed in New York, according to NYSERDA. (California passed 10,000 megawatts last year.) Incentives for residential and retail level battery projects became available in May and June. A long awaited competitive process to subsidize larger utility-scale battery projects is also ongoing, with initial information due from developers on Sept. 4. — Marie J. French IN OTHER NEWS — SUIT UP: Mayor Eric Adams is suing New York City's Campaign Finance Board a second time over its latest refusal to give him public matching funds. (Daily News) — SYRACUSE CONGRESSIONAL: Republican Assemblymember John Lemondes has jumped into the race to unseat Democratic Rep. John Mannion from his NY-22 seat. ( — RUBBER SHORTAGE: The city's Department of Health is facing calls to replenish its depleted supply of free condoms. (New York Post) Missed this morning's New York Playbook? We forgive you. Read it here.
