Antonio Delgado drops out of 2026 gubernatorial primary
Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado dropped out of the New York gubernatorial race Tuesday. Delgado, who’s served as Kathy Hochul’s lieutenant since 2022, announced his primary campaign against the governor last June. Avery Magee | Photo Editor
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Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado suspended his primary campaign for the 2026 New York gubernatorial race, he announced on a social media post Tuesday.
Delgado failed to receive an automatic spot on the June primary ballot at the state’s Democratic Convention in Syracuse last Friday. Without this, he would have had to collect 15,000 signatures to be on the ballot. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul received the party nomination.
“I’ve decided to end my campaign for Governor of New York,” Delgado wrote. “After much consideration, I’ve concluded that there simply is no viable path forward.”
Delgado also did not receive an endorsement from the New York Working Families Party on Saturday – another potential path to the ballot – who opted against supporting any candidate, The New York Times reported.
Hochul selected Delgado as her lieutenant governor in 2022 after he served in the U.S. House of Representatives as the first person of color to represent an upstate New York district.
In June 2025, Delgado announced he would challenge Hochul for the New York governor position in the 2026 Democratic primary. He remained Hochul’s lieutenant governor during his campaign against her.
Hochul announced Adrienne Adams, the former speaker of New York City Council, as her running mate last Wednesday.
The primary election will take place on June 23. The New York gubernatorial election is scheduled to take place on Nov. 3.
