Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado announced he’s ending his quixotic campaign for governor.
“After much consideration, I’ve concluded that there simply is no viable path forward,” he wrote in a statement posted on X on Tuesday. “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.”
The decision came a mere week after Delgado announced his running mate, one-time Buffalo mayoral candidate and democratic socialist India Walton. Until just days ago, Delgado had said he intended to petition his way onto the ballot after he did not earn enough support to gain access automatically at the state Democratic nominating convention on Friday.
Gov. Kathy Hochul tapped him to be her running mate in 2022 and he’s served as her deputy since. But he publicly broke with the governor last year and then announced in June 2025 that he would challenge Hochul’s reelection in the Democratic primary. He sought to outflank her from the left, promising to raise taxes on wealthy New Yorkers and support single-payer health care and expansive immigrant protections. Though he was not a socialist – “I’m a capitalist,” he said at one of his first campaign events – he hoped to build on the momentum from New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s stunning victory.
A small number of progressive organizations and politicians – including New York Communities for Change, Citizen Action of New York, state Sen. Jabari Brisport and Assembly Member Emily Gallagher – endorsed Delgado’s campaign.
But he failed to receive the support of Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who endorsed Hochul last week, or the New York Working Families Party, which decided not to back either Delgado or Hochul at the left-leaning third party’s convention Saturday.
Delgado faced a nearly insurmountable polling deficit, with the latest Siena University poll showing Democrats statewide supported Hochul over Delgado by more than 50 points, 64%-11%.