There are no term limits to the position of New York Governor, and current N.Y. Governor Kathy Hochul is ready to take full advantage of this.
During an event in NYC’s Riverbank State Park this past Tuesday, Hochul announced that she will run for another term in 2026. Spectrum Local News has reported that Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado will remain on her ticket.
About Delgado, Spectrum Local News quotes Governor Hochul as saying “We communicate regularly. He is doing a phenomenal job traveling the state promoting some of his signature initiatives…I’m very happy with what we’re doing”. Delgado has held the position since the spring of 2022, chosen by Hochul as her running mate after former Lieutenant Governor Brian Benjamin’s indictments on bribery and wire fraud charges in 2022 forced him to resign.
A spokesperson within the Delgado campaign confirmed that the lieutenant governor will also be running in 2026.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s original lieutenant, Robert Duffy, was replaced by Kathy Hochul in 2014. Had not the scandal that led to Cuomo’s resignation in 2021 happened, Hochul, according to Spectrum Local News, may have been pushed off Cuomo’s ticket in 2022. The then Lieutenant Governor has spoken about being aware that Cuomo was prepared to do this.
After she took over as Governor for the remainder of 2021, Hochul won the 2022 election, giving her a full four-year term as Governor of New York. Spectrum Local News called the 2022 election “the closest gubernatorial election in New York since 1994.”
Not getting too ahead of herself, Governor Hochul’s main focus, for now, is the Presidential elections in November. As stated by Spectrum Local News, her main priorities are “investing in local headquarters all over the state …continue my responsibility…to deliver Hakeem Jeffries to the House of Representatives and make him speaker, continue to support Chuck Schumer…deliver New York and a robust, big way for President Joe Biden this November.”
Depending on which party you ask, the question of how Hochul and Delgado have impacted NY will be different. Right now, it’s hard to tell if they will win the election again. Further candidates have to be announced and evaluated before we choose teams or attempt to determine who will win.
