ALBANY – Et tu, Antonio?
Some establishment Democrats called for Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado to resign Tuesday – one day after he announced he’d run in a party primary against Gov. Kathy Hochul.
“He shouldn’t be on the payroll of the employer he opposes,” Queens Borough President Donovan Richards told The Post.
“Hochul has been very good for Queens. Whatever we’ve asked for, she has delivered,” Richards, who has been rumored as a potential new LG pick himself, said.
Hochul handpicked Delgado to be her No. 2 in 2022, but it’s long been expected he’d throw his hat in the ring to try to unseat her in the 2026 election.
“I call for the ungrateful Mr. Delgado to IMMEDIATELY RESIGN as Lieutenant Governor,” Assemblywoman Yudelka Tapia (D-Bronx) wrote on X Monday night with an endorsement of the governor.
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx) praised Hochul and pushed back against the idea of a primary in comments to POLITICO though he stopped short of calling for Delgago to step aside.
“Governor Hochul has been a strong partner working with me on behalf of all New Yorkers,” Heastie said. “We need to be united.”
A spokesperson for Delgado stamped out any speculation the lieutenant governor will relinquish his title and $210,000 per year paycheck, which are effectively all the perks of the office Hochul has left him with.
“When someone challenges the status quo, the establishment pushes back — we expected that. But Antonio Delgado isn’t running to win over insiders,” said Steven Ileka, Delgado’s press secretary. “He’s running to fight for everyday New Yorkers, not the powerful few.”
Delgado also faced calls to turn down the temperature within the party ranks even if he stays put.
“I respect the will of the voters, so I’m not calling on Delgado to resign—but he needs to chill and stop stirring infighting,” Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn (D-Brooklyn), who also chairs the Brooklyn Democratic Committee, told The Post in a statement.
“Governor Kathy Hochul is a respected and popular Democratic incumbent with a strong track record and bold leadership on the issues that matter—affordability, public safety, education, immigration, and more,” Bichotte Hermelyn added.
Delgado’s infant campaign has already taken an approach of attacking Hochul and her growing crew in the capital.
“The powerful and well-connected have their champions. I’m running for Governor to be yours,” Delgado said in a video announcing his candidacy.
On his campaign website, the LG rips Hochul for vetoing two bills that would help expand childcare access and promises to deliver state-funded universal childcare. He also calls for “universal healthcare” and expanding New York’s public option.
Hochul’s campaign declined to comment.