In a rare display of blue-on-blue conflict, the New York lieutenant governor threw a wrench in his party’s agenda by announcing that he is running against Governor Kathy Hochul in the upcoming Democratic primary, leading to criticism from both sides of the aisle and causing some to speculate that the next governor of New York may end up being a Republican.
For context, on June 2, 2025, New York Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado announced that he is entering the 2026 Democratic primary for governor of his state, setting the stage for a rare showdown within the party. Governor Hochul is already in hot water after U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on February 12, 2025, that the DOJ was suing her and several other New York state officials over policies allowing illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses, and the rising internal threat makes the woke governor’s situation even worse.
Announcing his bid for governor on X, Delgado wrote, “New York, I’m not here to play the game. I’m here to change it.” He added, “I’m running to be your next Governor.” In response, an X user with the handle rocky commented, “You’d be even worse than Hochul. I’m sticking with her!” Another user chimed in, “He has the same old bad socialist ideas of every progressive. Hard pass.”
Furthermore, in an interview with the New York Times, Delgado said that in the wake of Governor Hochul’s time in office, “People are hurting and New York deserves better leadership,” adding, “There’s an absence of bold, decisive, transformational leadership.” In his announcement video, he built on this point, saying, “Listen, the powerful and well-connected have their champions. I’m running for governor to be yours.”
However, press accounts indicate that in the wake of Delgado’s announcement, some major Democratic Party institutions are still siding with Hochul. Fox News reported that the Democratic Governors Association backed Hochul immediately after Delgado announced that he was running, describing Governor Hochul as “a proven leader with a strong track record of delivering for New Yorkers.”
Continuing their statement, the Democratic Governors Association said that it was “100 percent behind Governor Hochul as she continues to deliver for New York, take on Donald Trump, and build the operation it will take to beat Republicans up and down the ballot in 2026.” In addition, the organization described the governor as someone who “knows how to take on big fights and win for New York families.”
Moreover, Republicans are seeing Delgado’s challenge as a clear sign of dysfunction and unrest within the Democratic Party, with Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) telling Fox News that the rift between Gov. Hochul and Delgado shows that Hochul is failing as a leader. Rep. Stefanik said, “I dubbed Kathy Hochul the worst governor in America because it’s true,” adding, “It’s not just Republicans, it’s independent and Democrat voters as well across this state who understand that she has failed, she has delivered catastrophic failed policies in New York.”
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In addition, in a post on X on June 3, 2025, Rep. Stefanik said that Governor Hochul’s term had been a failure, adding, “New Yorkers see through her desperate attempt to convince voters otherwise.” Moreover, the Republican congresswoman said that in 2026, “New Yorkers will elect a Republican Governor to actually deliver the largest tax cut for hardworking families to SAVE NEW YORK.”
Watch Delgado’s announcement:
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video