Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado believes that defeating his boss, Gov. Kathy Hochul, within the 2026 gubernatorial race isn’t not possible. The truth is, he appears decided to take her down. He broke ranks with Hochul earlier this yr in a public cut up and has been steadily constructing an anti-establishment marketing campaign. His rhetoric has made clear simply how distant he has turn into from the governor, and the way disconnected he believes she has turn into.
“We simply noticed it with the New York Metropolis mayor’s race. We simply noticed a metropolis say, sufficient is sufficient, and get behind younger voters. We’re going to again anyone who has the audacity…to push up in opposition to all of that cash and entrenched financial and political energy,” stated Delgado, 48, at a youth city corridor in Manhattan on Nov. 19. He was joined by lots of of members of School Democrats chapters, Younger Democrats organizations, and younger activists. “I need to be clear about one thing, the governor of New York is part of that institution,” he continued. “Make no mistake about it.”
Delgado turned the state’s first Afro-Latino to serve within the lieutenant governor place in 2022, changing former Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin, who resigned to battle federal fraud expenses that have been later quietly dismissed.
Images contributed by Delgado’s staff
A towering determine at 6’4”, Delgado labored arduous to lean into the limelight. He drew on his experiences as a U.S. Consultant for the nineteenth District, an athlete, church-goer, Rhodes scholar, and rapper (he was as soon as generally known as “AD the Voice”) to focus on a various array of voters and assist Hochul get reelected for a second time period. He additionally didn’t draw back from the criticism that he was the “runner up Black man” chosen in order that Hochul may save herself from political embarrassment.
The 2 gave the impression to be an excellent staff.
However it was when Delgado referred to as for former President Joe Biden to finish his presidential marketing campaign in 2024 that the primary rift turned obvious. Now, after a couple of yr of campaigning in opposition to Hochul, the 2 are downright antagonistic. Particularly since Delgado is capitalizing on the goodwill of Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s win, whom he overtly endorsed again in June 2025 when few mainstay Democrats would.
“So we obtained no ‘tax the wealthy’ or the extremely rich or firms or billionaires, none of that. We obtained no free buses. What we do have is a three-month late endorsement, and now we have a photograph op (of Hochul) consuming buffalo wings,” stated Delgado, who introduced his marketing campaign in June. “See, that is the distinction between myself and the governor.”
Hoping to attraction to younger New Yorkers throughout the state, a robust voting bloc that emerged this yr, Delgado can be centered on the problems shaping their future like affordability, the local weather disaster, pupil debt, synthetic intelligence, and the altering panorama of labor.
“As a result of proper now, we live in a time the place that story of upward mobility that I lived, that story of the center class rising, we’re transferring in the other way. The center class is definitely shrinking. The quickest rising class of oldsters are the working poor,” stated Delgado. “Proper right here in New York, two out of 5 households throughout the state can’t afford fundamental requirements, can’t afford groceries, can’t afford vitality payments, can’t afford lease, can’t afford well being care, can’t afford little one care, transportation, can’t afford life.”
Delgado has been endorsed by New York Communities for Change, StonyBrook School Democrats, Cornell College Democrats, St. Lawrence College Democrats, and his alma mater, Colgate School Democrats.
“I positively can say what has enormously improved, and I do know this positively contributed to Zohran’s win, which was focusing on the youth. Notably with social media and referring to us,” stated Deari Oliver, the vice chairman of School Democrats at Syracuse College, concerning the state of politics.
“That is somebody who not solely I can relate to, however I can see myself in. Somebody who’s prepared to talk out in opposition to massive firms or entities and governments who need to silent youth voices. In consequence it has mobilized lots of us.”
Oliver added that the Democratic occasion nonetheless struggles with range amongst youth voters. “I need to be clear and say what we do have to work on is focusing on range and seeing extra areas the place POC youth could be concerned in politics. That may be a wrestle at the least on my campus if I needed to be sincere.”
In the meantime, Hochul’s marketing campaign efforts in the mean time are centered on discrediting Rep. Elise Stefanik, a staunch Trump supporter that launched her candidacy for governor this November.
“All the nation simply watched Donald Trump throw Elise Stefanik beneath the bus the identical method she’s been throwing New Yorkers beneath the bus for years,” stated Sarafina Chitika, Hochul’s Marketing campaign Communications Director, in an announcement after Mamdani’s first assembly with President Donald Trump on Friday, Nov. 21.
“In a single breath, Trump nuked her opening argument and informed each New Yorker listening that she’s solely taking part in politics,” stated Chitika. “We haven’t seen Stefanik take an ‘L’ this large since Trump crushed her goals of becoming a member of his administration.”
