Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that she is appointing Representative Antonio Delgado to serve as lieutenant governor of New York. Delgado currently represents New York’s 19th Congressional District, which includes the Hudson Valley and Catskills. Delgado is Afro-Latino, the first person of color to represent upstate New York in Congress and a member of both the Black and Hispanic Congressional Caucuses.
“I am proud to appoint Antonio Delgado, an outstanding leader and public servant, as lieutenant governor of New York, and I look forward to working with him to usher in a new era of fairness, equity, and prosperity for communities across the State,” Hochul said. “We share a belief in working together to get things done for New Yorkers, and Representative Delgado has an incredible record of doing just that in Congress. With Antonio Delgado by my side serving as lieutenant governor, we will both make history — and make a difference.”
The announcement comes after the state Legislature passed a bill this week that enabled Brian Benjamin to remove himself from the statewide ballot for the lieutenant governor position. Benjamin was arrested last month during an investigation by the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Manhattan into possible campaign fraud related to Benjamin’s bid for New York City Comptroller in June 2021. Benjamin stepped down as lieutenant governor hours later, leaving a question mark about the gubernatorial ticket this coming November.
“New Yorkers deserve a lieutenant governor who’s working day and night to make lives better for working people and their families,” Delgado said Tuesday. “Upstate, downstate, doesn’t matter. We all want the same things, security, family and opportunity. The key is to listen to New Yorkers from all walks of life and then be their voice to get the job done.”
Delgado grew up in Schenectady and lives in Rhinebeck with his wife, Lacey, and their twin eight-year-old sons, Maxwell and Coltrane. He attended Colgate University and earned a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford. Then, he received a law degree from Harvard Law School. He lived in New York City for several years as a lawyer.
He was first elected to Congress in 2018 and has held more than 65 town halls over his two terms in office across all 11 counties in the 19th District. Delgado is the chairman of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Commodity Exchanges, Energy, and Credit, and he serves on the House Small Business and Transportation and Infrastructure Committees.
