Electeds race to endorse Hochul following Delgado campaign launch

Almost immediately after Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado posted his gubernatorial campaign launch video on social media, endorsements came pouring in. Not for him, though. Instead, Democratic elected officials raced to support Gov. Kathy Hochul, his boss and the incumbent he’s now trying to unseat. 

Delgado has been laying the groundwork for his expected run for governor for several months, at least since February when he announced he would not be on Hochul’s ticket next year as her lieutenant governor. But his relationship with the governor had begun deteriorating long before then, and his aspirations for higher office certainly predated his decision not to run for reelection as someone else’s No. 2.

Delgado has started to make inroads with the left wing of the Democratic Party in an apparent bid to run to Hochul’s left. And his announcement appeared to generate some excitement among progressives on social media. But institutionally, Democratic officials used Delgado’s launch as an opportunity to officially endorse Hochul long before next year’s primary.

Rep. Pat Ryan, a Hudson Valley Democratic whom Delgado has described as a friend, jumped at the opportunity to back the incumbent governor. “She’s hard-working. She’s a person of integrity. And she’s a fighter,” he wrote on X minutes within an hour of the news breaking. “I’m all in with @KathyHochul.” Fellow Rep. Adriano Espaillat, a power broker in Manhattan especially among the growing Dominican voting bloc, told The New York Times that Delgado would be “good for the state in the future” but it wasn’t yet his time to run.

Other elected officials were quick to praise Hochul in the wake of Delgado’s official decision to run. “Gov. @KathyHochul has delivered for Queens: $180M for a cancer center, $40M for a new ER at Jamaica Hospital, $27.5M for maternal care at Elmhurst, plus the IBX, Champlain Hudson Express & a new aquatics center and so much more,” Queens Borough President Donovan Richards wrote on X. “She shows up for us – every time.” Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie called Hochul a “strong partner” in a statement that also said that Democrats in New York “need to be united” in the face of President Donald Trump.

Both Delgado and Hochul are upstaters and could split that vote if a downstate candidate also enters the primary. Some upstate elected officials have already thrown in for Hochul as well. “I'm proud to stand with Governor Hochul to keep Monroe County and New York State moving forward – together,” Monroe County Executive Adam Bello wrote on X. State Sen. Jeremy Cooney of Rochester uplifted Hochul as well. “As an upstate senator, I know @KathyHochul is rebuilding communities, like Rochester… I’m with our Governor,” he also wrote on X.

While many merely praised Hochul, Bronx Assembly Member Yudelka Tapia actively condemned Delgado, whom she called “disgraceful.” “Antonio Delgado’s decision to run for governor is misguided and out of touch with the needs of New Yorkers,” she wrote on X, additionally calling on him to resign (in all caps). “Our Latino Community support Kathy Hochul for reelection (100%).”

A spokesperson for Delgado did not return a request for comment. 

Endorsements are hardly the end-all and be-all in a campaign, but the immediate support for Hochul underscores the intense uphill battle that comes with attempting to unseat the incumbent leader of the state Democratic Party. To pick such a battle during a midterm election in which Republicans control the entire federal government and Democrats will emphasize unity as they try to win back the House, makes it even harder. For now, Delgado seems to be building up a more grassroots campaign, relying more on progressive organizations and advocates than institutional Democrats. 

But that’s not to say Delgado has been totally shunned by elected officials. The New York Times article in which he formally launched his campaign mentioned Hudson Mayor Kamal Johnson as an ally. It also noted that state Sen. Cordell Cleare and Assembly Member Stefani Zinerman attended two of his recent appearances in their Harlem and Central Brooklyn districts. But notably, neither lawmaker has explicitly endorsed him.