New York Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado has abruptly abandoned his long-shot bid to unseat his own boss, Gov. Kathy Hochul, in this years Democratic gubernatorial primary, acknowledging there is no viable path forward for his campaign.
According to Fox News, Delgados decision came just days after New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani threw his support behind Hochul, effectively undercutting Delgados attempt to position himself as the progressive alternative in a party already drifting sharply left. The lieutenant governor, who would have mounted a rare intra-party challenge against a sitting governor, had hoped to harness dissatisfaction among progressives, but instead found the party establishment and much of the activist left rallying around Hochul.
"Ive decided to end my campaign for Governor of New York. After much consideration, Ive concluded that there simply is no viable path forward," Delgado said in a statement on Tuesday, signaling the end of a campaign that never gained meaningful traction. "And though my campaign has come to an end, I fully intend to do all I can in our effort to build a more humane, affordable, and equitable state that serves all New Yorkers. I will also support Democrats in our effort to hold the line against Trump and take back our democracy," he added, underscoring his continued loyalty to a national Democratic agenda that has presided over rising costs and public disorder in many blue states.
"I do not make this decision lightly, particularly given that so many have poured their belief into our campaign and are desperate to be given a voice," Delgado also said, acknowledging the disappointment among his supporters. He added, "Ultimately, this decision for me comes down to my belief that to walk with purpose, is to walk with love," language that will likely resonate with the partys activist base but do little to reassure moderates concerned about crime, taxes, and outmigration.
Following Delgado's announcement, Hochul campaign communications director Sarafina Chitika told Fox News Digital, "Governor Hochul has spent all year uniting her big-tent party around a vision for affordability and safety for every New York family." That claim comes as New York continues to grapple with high taxes, persistent crime concerns, and an exodus of residents and businesses to lower-tax, more secure red states, raising questions about how affordability and safety are being defined in Albany.
"Thanks to her leadership, our campaign and our party are strong and ready to defeat Donald Trump and his enablers up and down the ballot, take back the House, and hand Bruce Blakeman yet another loss this November," Chitika added, framing the race less around New Yorks governance and more as a referendum on national Republican figures. "Donald Trump and Bruce Blakeman are united in their efforts to raise costs on working families, send masked ICE agents into our streets to terrorize innocent communities, and wage war on New York kids. Our party is now just as united to stop them," she continued, deploying the kind of inflammatory rhetoric that has become standard fare for Democrats seeking to deflect from their own record on inflation, border security, and education.
Last week, Delgado attempted to shore up his left flank by naming former Buffalo mayoral candidate India Walton, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, as his running mate, a move clearly designed to appeal to the partys socialist wing. That gambit, however, underscored how far the Democratic Party in New York has shifted from traditional, working-class priorities toward an increasingly radical ideological agenda.
But any bounce Delgado might have enjoyed with the Democratic Party's progressive base was quickly superseded by Mamdani's endorsement of Hochul, effectively consolidating socialist and progressive support behind the incumbent. Hochul had backed Mamdani, a democratic socialist, last September as the Democratic Party's mayoral nominee battled former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa in the general election mayoral showdown, further cementing her ties to the partys far-left faction.
Delgado, a former two-term member of Congress, launched his bid for governor last June, an unusual instance of a lieutenant governor openly challenging a sitting governor from his own party. But the most recent public opinion polls in the Democratic primary race indicated Hochul with a massive lead over Delgado, suggesting that party insiders and activists had already decided to close ranks around the incumbent rather than risk a divisive primary.
And at the New York State Democratic convention last week, Delgado failed to meet the mandatory threshold to earn an automatic spot on the primary ballot, a stark indicator of his lack of institutional support. The lieutenant governor was also unsuccessful in winning the backing of the progressive Working Families Party, which decided against making an endorsement, leaving him stranded between an entrenched establishment and an uncompromising left wing.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman is the all-but-certain GOP gubernatorial nominee, offering voters a clear contrast on crime, taxes, and parental rights after years of one-party Democratic rule. President Donald Trump endorsed Blakeman in December after Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik dropped her bid for governor, setting up a potential showdown in which New Yorkers disillusioned with progressive policies will have an opportunity to choose a different direction for the state.
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