New York Lt. Colonel Antonio Delgado said on Monday he will not be re-election with Gov. Kathy Hochul in 2026, but he will explore other options to represent New York for the state government.
“We have decided not to run for reelection with the governor in 2026,” Delgado said in a statement. “I am deeply committed to completing my maturity, as I was elected independently by the people of New York.”
“I am determined to be your voice in the state government now and in the future. All options are on the table and I will explore them,” he added.
The candidates run independently for the governor and lieutenant governor in the primary election, but their names will appear together in the general election vote, as did Hochul and Delgado in 2022.
Delgado was broken publicly with Hochul on many issues during his tenure, including when he called for New York Mayor Eric Adams to resign.
Delgado said in a statement that he had decided to run for the office almost 10 years ago.
“I think New Yorkers deserve this kind of leadership more than ever,” he added.
The governor's communications director Anthony Hogrebe immediately issued a statement on Monday in response to Delgado's announcement.
“Today, Antonio Delgado finally yelled out something obvious for quite some time. He simply isn't interested in working as a lieutenant governor of New York,” Hogrebe wrote in a statement.
“Governor Hochul had begun taking steps to identify new running peers for 2026,” Hogrebe continued. “We will also reassign responsibility within the administration to ensure that any important initiatives that were within the office of the Lieutenant Governor are no longer ignored.”
“Governor Hochur wishes him the best in his future efforts,” Hogrebe added.
