Delgado calls for universal health care as he distances himself from Hochul

Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado’s nascent gubernatorial campaign has been light on concrete policy plans so far, but on Saturday, he hinted at a platform that sounded less like the Hochul administration and more like AOC. 

Speaking at the Schenectady YMCA, Delgado was joined by more than 200 of his supporters – including the Democratic county chairs from Greene, Otsego and Schoharie counties, who are some of the few county chairs in the state who have not already committed to backing Hochul for reelection.

His stump speech included several policies that expanded or went far beyond anything Gov. Kathy Hochul has been willing to back thus far. He said that the Housing Voucher Access Program – which Hochul included in this year’s budget at the last minute – should have been funded at $250 million rather than the $50 million it was allotted. Delgado also pointed out that he’s a working father – though he wouldn’t be New York’s first dad governor – and said that universal child care and a permanent fund to support child care workers' wages are priorities for him. He also called for universal health care, similar to what’s envisioned by the New York Health Act, as well as raising the annual income limit for the Essential Plan from the current $47,000. He later told reporters that the statewide minimum wage should be raised to $22.

While his policy wish list might read like something thought up in the People’s Republic of Astoria, the lieutenant governor made it clear that he doesn’t mind people doing well for themselves. “I’m a capitalist,” Delgado said. 

Some of the ideas he described have already been proposed in the state Legislature and rejected by Hochul. A common refrain from the governor has been cost concerns, particularly as officials wait for the other shoe to drop with President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.” 

Between the extra $200 million for the voucher program, the $12.7 billion estimated for universal child care and the whopping $160 billion estimated for universal health care in New York, Delgado’s ideas could cost more than $173 billion in state funding. But Delgado stressed to reporters that he had not called for the passage of any specific legislation, other than increased funding for HAVP.

“What I'm laying out is a vision, and then we work with the legislative body collaboratively to effectuate that vision and figure out what the best way forward is to get there,” he said. “So it's important to understand, obviously, there's costs associated with any policy you have to implement. You figure out what type of revenue you have to raise, where, and how much year to year to fund these programs. Those are the things that we're going to be doing.”

Delgado said that Hochul’s approach to policy – “tinkering,” as he put it – is holding back New York, and only “bold, decisive” leadership can right the ship. But despite the rift between himself and the governor, his regular reminders that he was independently elected (the last lieutenant governor who can make such a claim) and the absence of communication between him and Hochul about scheduling, let alone policy, he is still firmly part of her administration. 

Delgado believes that over the course of his campaign, he’ll be able to highlight the differences between the two of them and their vision for New York as he tours the state. “I think the more that those distinctions emerge over time, the more I think people get a sense of who I am and not just my name, but what I want to do,” he said.