Hochul Picks Hudson Valley Rep As NY’s Next Lieutenant Governor

NEW YORK CITY — Antonio Delgado will serve as New York’s next lieutenant governor, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced.

“With Antonio Delgado by my side serving as Lieutenant Governor, we will both make history – and make a difference,” Hochul tweeted Tuesday.

The pick of Delgado, a congressional representative from Hudson Valley, followed a tumultuous few weeks atop New York’s government after the indictment of former Lt. Brian Benjamin.

Benjamin was arrested April 12 after federal authorities accused him of carrying out a Harlem bribery scheme. He quickly resigned but would have remained on the ballot for the June 28 primary, in which Hochul hopes to secure the Democratic gubernatorial nomination for governor and fight for a full term as governor.

But a last-ditch vote Monday by state lawmakers thwarted that awkward prospect. They passed a law barring candidates who have been arrested or charged with crimes after their nomination from being on the ballot, and Benjamin agreed to withdraw, the New York Times reported.

Hochul’s choice of Delgado means a New York City politician won’t be in the top two executive positions in the state — a consideration in her original choice of Benjamin, as she hails from upstate.