SYRACUSE — Democrats from around New York State nominated Gov. Kathy Hochul as the party’s designee as she seeks reelection this fall.
Hochul, 67, is running for her second term in office. Formerly the state’s lieutenant governor, the Democrat stepped into the role after Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned in 2021.
Her running mate, former New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, was also nominated, and they would appear as a pair on the ticket.
Hochul quickly took aim at President Donald Trump and the presumptive Republican nominee for governor, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman.
“We don’t put up with crap, we don’t cave, we don’t surrender,” Hochul said. “And here’s my final message, anyone who dares stand in our way, here’s your warning: whether you’re in Washington or Nassau County, you don’t want to mess with the badass women of New York.”
Democrats who convened in Syracuse for the one-day convention had earlier chosen incumbents Letitia James for attorney general and Thomas DiNapoli for comptroller.
Antonio Delgado, 49, Hochul’s former ally and now-estranged lieutenant governor, is challenging the Democrat on her political left flank, but did not receive enough votes to be a party designee.
Hochul received more than 85% of the vote, to less than 15% for Delgado.
State Democratic Committee Chairman Jay Jacobs previously told Newsday he’d rather avoid a primary, with money better spent against Republicans.
The winner of the June primary would face Blakeman, who is running for governor and seeking his party’s designation at the Republican convention on Long Island next week.
Democrats in New York have a more than 2-to-1 enrollment advantage.
Delgado, who attended the convention and received a nomination, told reporters he plans to petition to be on the ballot. Candidates who don’t receive 25% of the delegates’ vote must file a petition with 15,000 signatures to get on the ballot.
Delgado, of Rhinebeck, represented the Hudson Valley in Congress before becoming lieutenant governor. He selected India Walton, the former Buffalo mayoral candidate as his running mate.
Hochul, a Buffalo native, in her time as governor has pushed to protect reproductive rights, strengthen gun safety laws and ban the use of cellphones in schools. The first female governor, Hochul refers to herself as the first mom governor.
She recently has pushed back on Trump’s mass deportation immigration agenda, calling for legislation to protect New Yorkers and immigrant communities from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-Manhattan) nominated Hochul and described how she became governor during the COVID-19 pandemic and immediately “stepped up to the plate.”
“This is a moment to come together, to come together as a state and I feel very strongly that the person that can do that, just like she does when she goes up to the plate, the person that can bring us all together, New York State, a very diverse state. Is no other than Gov. Kathy Hochul.”
Hundreds of Democrats packed into the Oncenter Carrier Theater in Syracuse for the event.
Delegates and nominees heatedly denounced the actions of the Trump administration, particularly federal funding cuts to safety net programs, efforts to block infrastructure projects including the Gateway Tunnel under the Hudson River, and the federal mass deportation efforts.
Immigration was the main topic of the day. Party leaders and nominees condemned the tactics of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, after violent altercations in Minnesota between ICE agents and protesters, and the killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents.
The party unanimously passed a resolution calling for a “comprehensive restructuring” of ICE to a model that “safeguards human rights and due process.” The resolution urged U.S. senators to oppose funding for ICE and to introduce and support legislation to rein in ICE.
The resolution also commended Hochul’s proposal to ban local law enforcement from entering agreements with ICE.
State Democrats stressed the importance of boosting New York’s Democratic congressional candidates as well.
“That blue wave to take back America starts here in New York,” DiNapoli said.