Hochul's estranged No. 2 plans to announce he'll challenge her for NY governor's race: sources
ALBANY – Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado is planning to announce a bid for governor as soon as this weekend, The Post has learned.
Delgado is telling allies that he will make public his plans to unseat his estranged boss, Gov. Kathy Hochul, very soon according to a Democratic party source who's spoken with the lieutenant governor.
A rep for Delgado wouldn't comment, but also didn't deny that he was planning on getting into the race.
3 Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado is telling allies he plans to formally announce a bid for governor this week, The Post has learned.
Stephen Yang
The former Hudson Valley congressman formally split from Hochul earlier this year following significant public disagreements between the two.
Delgado first attracted the governor's ire last summer when he publicly called for President Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential race.
Hochul, at the time, was an outspoken voice in the chorus of Democrats still cheering on the dithering president despite clear evidence of his failing health.
Delgado also got out in front of Hochul earlier this year when he called for Mayor Eric Adams to resign amid his swirling corruption scandals.
While sources familiar with the two's declining relationship said they were heading towards a public breakup for months, Delgado made it 'social media official' on Feb. 24, suddenly announcing that he wouldn't run for re-election as her No. 2 next year.
'There are a lot of folks in politics who wake up every single day thinking about everything but the damn people,' Delgado told a room full of Democrats in his hometown of Schenectady a day later in what unmistakably resembled a campaign speech.
The abrupt announcement prompted Hochul to take away many of Delgado's state perks, like his capitol office and even official email, according to the sources.
3 Delgado repped a Hudson Valley battleground congressional district for two terms before he was tapped by Gov. Kathy Hochul to be lieutenant governor.
Hans Pennink for NY Post
Since then, Delgado has been using an email address set up for him by the state Senate, which he technically presides over as lieutenant governor, according to a source familiar with the situation.
He has spent the last few weeks traipsing around all corners of the state hosting town hall events.
Delgado would no doubt struggle in an attempt to topple Hochul — who became governor in 2021 after Andrew Cuomo resigned in disgrace and who was elected to a full term the following year.
3 Delgado announced in February he would not be running with Hochul again for LG.
Stephen Yang
She has an undeniable advantage in name recognition, a massive $15 million campaign war chest and the benefit of keeping New York's powerful unions and other special interests happy as the incumbent.
According to Siena College polling's most recent survey, Delgado would currently receive just 12% of the vote in a matchup including him, Hochul and Bronx Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) who is also rumored to be considering a bid in the 2026 race.
Hochul won in that simulation, though with only 46% of the vote.
Delgado was Hochul's second pick after her first lieutenant governor, Harlem state Sen. Brian Benjamin (D-Manhattan) resigned while facing charges he accepted bribes from a real estate developer — a case that was eventually dropped.
She recently made a point to slam the door shut on any chance she may have to serve with Delgado for another four years by shoving a provision into the state budget that would change New York election law so governors and lieutenant governors run as a ticket during the primary, instead of separately as it worked previously.
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