Antonio Delgado Drops Out of New York Governor’s Race

New York Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado dropped out of the governor’s race on Tuesday, ending his bid in the June primary against Governor Kathy Hochul.

“I’ve decided to end my campaign for Governor of New York. After much consideration, I’ve concluded that there simply is no viable path forward,” he said in a statement. “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.”

“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,” he added.

Delgado’s decision came a day after he attended a virtual gubernatorial forum that was hosted by various Democratic political groups in Brooklyn, including the Bay Ridge Democrats, BKForge, Brooklyn Young Democrats, Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats, Get Organized Brooklyn, and Lambda Independent Democrat, among others.

During the online forum, which Hochul did not attend due to a last-minute scheduling change, Delgado did not mention his thoughts about dropping out of the race, and focused instead on how he would tackle income and housing inequality, health care reform, and protections for immigrants.

"The reason why I’m running for governor is because the status quo is fundamentally broken – it's not working for everyday folks, for everyday New Yorkers, for working families,” Delgado said during the forum. “We can’t keep doing the same thing over and over again. We can’t just keep subsidizing economic inequality.”

He also said he would support the millionaire’s tax, and touted the merits of reinstating the Stock Transfer Tax, as possible revenue sources for public programs.

Delgado’s decision to leave the race comes after Hochul accepted her party's nomination for governor on Friday at the New York State Democratic Convention in Syracuse. The governor picked up support from 85% of state party members, according to Politico. She also received New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s endorsement on Thursday.

Delgado was running with India Walton, a political activist from Buffalo. He had already earned endorsements from Citizen Action of New York and Caring Majority Rising, among others.

“Ultimately, this decision for me comes down to my belief that to walk with purpose, is to walk with love,” Delgado said about dropping out of the race. “That belief has animated this campaign. That is why Lacey and I entered politics nearly a decade ago. That is the lesson we try to impart on our young boys. And that is the same spirit I will carry with me as I continue to serve the people of New York as Lieutenant Governor.”