Antonio Delgado Drops Out Of New York State Governors Race

What was starting to look like a pretty busy and crowded campaign for the top political job in the Empire State is getting a little less packed as current New York Lieutenant Governor and 2026 Governor's office candidate Antonio Delgado announces that he is dropping out of the race.

Deldago, who was running against current New York Governor Kathy Hochul, is not out of the race like current New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, who dropped out of the race when seeking the Republican nomination against Bruce Blakeman.

Now with Delgado out of the race, it looks like we have a much clearer picture of who is going to battle against each other later this year to lead one of the most important states in the Union.

Antonio Delgado & India Walton Call It Quits For Governor / Lieutenant Governor of New York

Lt. Gov. Delgado made it pretty clear in February 2025 that he and Hochul had different priorities for the Empire State when he publicly announced he was splitting away from the Buffalo area Democrat. That set the stage for Delgado to start traveling the state, raising money and attention for a challenge against Hochul. However, it seems that he and his team have decided they don't have a reasonable chance to beat the Governor.

Even teaming up with India Walton, the notable Buffalo progressive and Democratic Socialist who handily beat former Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown in the Democratic Primary back in 2021, wasn't enough to help Delgado clear a path to the second floor of the New York State Capitol.

It was the most unexpected and huge honor to be considered and brought into the team so seamlessly and with such care. I’m sure this is not the last folks will hear from team Delgado-Walton!
-India Walton

Now, New Yorkers are looking forward to June, when the Democratic and Republican primary elections are scheduled to happen for things to really heat up in the Empire State.