Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado has made his choice for running mate in the Democratic primary for New York governor.
Delgado has tabbed India Walton, who pulled off an upset win in the Buffalo Democratic mayoral primary in 2021 before incumbent Mayor Byron Brown prevailed with a write-in campaign in the general election, as the other half of his ticket. Walton, a nurse and union leader, has worked with the Working Families Party following the 2021 mayoral run, as well as a 2023 run for Buffalo Common Council.
“India Walton represents exactly the kind of transformational and morally courageous leadership New Yorkers are hungry for,” Delgado said in a statement. “She has never been afraid to challenge the status quo, stand up to powerful interests, and put working families first.”
Walton, a mother of four, said in a statement that she and Delgado will look to pass the “New York for All” Act, which many Democrats in the state Legislature have argued is the strongest way to guarantee the safety of immigrants, as well as the New York Health Act, a universal health care bill for New Yorkers.
“New Yorkers deserve leadership that puts them first and that is what this campaign embodies,” Walton said in the statement. “I have never shied away from bold ideas and I am excited to partner with someone who displays that same courage.”
Delgado faces an uphill battle in the Democratic primary — the most recent Siena University poll shows that among Democrats, Gov. Kathy Hochul holds a 53-point lead, 64-11% over Delgado, her only challenger from the left.