Hochul assures New Yorkers on new Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado: ‘I feel we got it right’ – Buffalo News

Hochul introduced Delgado to reporters during a news conference in the Capitol’s Red Room, just hours after the State Legislature passed an unprecedented law paving the way for his inclusion on this year’s primary ballot. It marked an effort to put behind her the political fallout from the April arrest and indictment of former Lt. Gov. Brian A. Benjamin, and to rely on a rising Democratic congressman to work with her, politically and governmentally.

“I have no doubt, no doubt whatsoever, that when New Yorkers get to know their new lieutenant governor they will embrace him with the same enthusiasm I have,” she said.

Hochul also insisted that the vetting process of her staff, which has attracted intense criticism from Republicans and Democratic primary rivals alike, resulted in a thorough investigation of Delgado’s past.

“I truly understand the concern and wanted to make sure we got it right,” she said, noting she is now served by a larger and more experienced staff than what supervised the flawed vetting process of Benjamin, missing signs that eventually led to his April resignation.

“It was a very, very thorough vetting process,” the governor said Tuesday. “It was a deep dive into his background.”

Delgado, a former semi-pro basketball player, is 6-feet-4-inches tall and towered over the diminutive governor during their first joint appearance.

“He really makes me feel short, but I’ll get over that,” the governor quipped.

Delgado told reporters he will give up his seat in the House of Representatives from a desire to “connect” with New Yorkers throughout the state.

“I look forward to connecting with the diverse communities all across New York,” he said, “and to tap into the goodness of our collective power.

“We need to reconnect and restore our collective bond as New Yorkers,” he added, referring to the crisis of Benjamin’s resignation as well as the Covid-19 pandemic. “I want to be part of that healing process.”

His selection ranks as a surprise, since most speculation centered around candidates from New York City in the traditional effort to achieve upstate-downstate balance. The nominee downplayed that aspect Tuesday.

“Upstate, downstate, doesn’t matter,” he said. “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.”

Though he now brings a Washington perspective to the post, he has no Albany experience.

Still, the new lieutenant governor points to a plethora of diversity. On Tuesday he described his background as African and Cape Verdian, acknowledging the accuracy of an “Afro-Latino” description, and emphasized his membership in Albany’s Macedonian Baptist Church. His wife, Lacey, is Black and Jewish, he said, and his twin 8-year-old sons, Maxwell and Coltrane, are being raised in the Jewish religion.

“I am very much rooted in traditional Black culture,” he added. 

Raised in Schenectady, where his parents worked for  General Electric Co., Delgado excelled on the basketball court for Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons School. He later played for the Colgate University Red Raiders before joining a semi-pro team in Puerto Rico, and was named to the Upstate New York Basketball Hall of Fame. He earned a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford before receiving a law degree from Harvard Law School, and then practiced law in New York City for several years.

Delgado now lives in Rhinebeck, represents the 19th Congressional District in the Hudson Valley and Catskills, and is the first person of color to represent upstate New York in Congress after he defeated Republican incumbent John J. Faso in 2018. His departure from the House raises concerns among some Democrats, especially as Republican Marc Molinaro, the Dutchess County executive, is mounting a strong effort for the seat this year.

Nevertheless, Speaker Nancy Pelosi praised Delgado’s congressional efforts in a number of areas.

“The people of New York will be well-served by his intellectual brilliance, tireless work ethic, strong values and his extraordinary talent for communicating with his constituents,” Pelosi said in a statement. “He and Governor Kathy Hochul will make a terrific team.”

Now Delgado will appear on the June 28 ballot in the Democratic primary after the Legislature changed state law to allow removal of a candidate’s name in the event of arrest, indictment or other legal challenges. The move has been blasted by primary rivals like Rep. Thomas R. Suozzi of Nassau County, but the governor defended the action Tuesday as necessary to deal with the Benjamin case and similar situations in the future.

“I think the critics are wrong,” she said.

The appointment was greeted with skepticism by the GOP and minor parties.

“All Democrats do is replace the names and faces of their disgraced politicians but the policies never change,” said state Republican Chairman Nicholas A. Langworthy. “Antonio Delgado is just another radical leftist who wants to dismantle our criminal justice system and make New York a socialist state.”

And the Working Families Party, which often aligns with the Democrats but is supporting New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams against Hochul, expressed concern about any Democrat leaving the House.

“This decision feels short-sighted at a time when we need to be doing everything in our power to preserve the House majority and hold back an increasingly ruthless and draconian Republican Party,” said party Director Sochie Nnaemeka.