When it rains for one party, it pours. Last week, New York's top court invalidated Democrats' congressional map, depriving them of their best opportunity to gain seats through redistricting in the country. Then on Tuesday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul tapped rising star Democratic Rep. Antonio Delgado (NY-19) to be her new lieutenant governor and running mate following last month's resignation of Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin on federal corruption charges.
The move makes sense for both politicians: in Delgado, the tepid-polling Hochul gets a dynamic, Afro-Latino ticket mate with proven Upstate appeal. And by bailing out of the House, Delgado trades a highly uncertain reelection race for a better chance to be governor someday.
But for House Democrats, especially Delgado's neighbor and DCCC Chair Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, it's a huge setback. At the moment, Democrats are engaged in a Hail Mary legal effort in federal court to reinstate both a June 28 primary and their gerrymander, which would have shored up Delgado's Hudson Valley seat from Biden +2 to Biden +10. But Delgado's exit — after stockpiling $5.8 for
Subscribe Today
Our subscribers have first access to individual race pages for each House, Senate and Governors race, which will include race ratings (each race is rated on a seven-point scale) and a narrative analysis pertaining to that race.