New York Gov. Kathy Hochul will need a new running mate in 2026.
Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado announced Monday that he won’t run alongside Hochul in next year’s election, marking a clean break with a governor who first appointed him to the state’s number-two role in 2022.
Delgado’s relationship with Hochul had steadily and publicly deteriorated over the past year, with Delgado going as far as openly flirting with a gubernatorial run of his own.
The lieutenant governor hinted at his future ambitions in his announcement, saying he remains “determined to be your voice in state government now and in the future.”
“All options are on the table, and I will be exploring them,” Delgado said in his statement.
A Hochul spokesperson said the governor had already been seeking out a different running mate for 2026 and would be taking steps to “reallocate” Delgado’s governmental responsibilities.
“Today, Antonio Delgado finally said out loud what has been obvious for quite some time: he is simply not interested in doing the job of the Lieutenant Governor of the State of New York,” said Hochul's Communications Director Anthony Hogrebe, who added that Hochul “wishes [Delgado] the best in his future endeavors.”
Delgado, a former U.S. representative from the Hudson Valley, vacated his seat in Congress to become Hochul’s second lieutenant governor nearly three years ago. He replaced former Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin, who resigned after he was hit with federal bribery charges that have since been dropped.
Hochul and Delgado ran as a Democratic ticket in 2022 after winning their respective primary races. Together, they won a four-year term.
But the friction between the pair spilled into public view in July when Delgado publicly called for then-President Joe Biden to withdraw from the presidential race — all while Hochul remained a steadfast Biden supporter.
In a December interview with the New York Times, Delgado hinted at a potential run for higher office, though he said he had no “intention” of challenging the governor in 2026.
And earlier this month, Delgado called on New York City Mayor Eric Adams to resign while Hochul was weighing the mayor’s fate. Soon after, Delgado declared his independence from Hochul, telling reporters that he “serves with the governor” but not “at the pleasure of the governor.”
Delgado’s announcement makes it official that Hochul will have to find a new running mate for her re-election bid next year.
Candidates for governor traditionally select a preferred lieutenant governor candidate, though they run in separate primaries before the winners are joined as a ticket for the general election.
Hochul, meanwhile, is charging ahead with her campaign. On Monday, she announced she had hired a campaign manager, veteran Democratic strategist Preston Elliott, who ran Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s successful re-election campaign in 2022.