Gov. Kathy Hochul heads into a Democratic convention vote with a huge polling lead over primary challenger Antonio Delgado and new endorsements from state Attorney General Letitia James and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Hochul announced her prominent new backers on Thursday, Feb. 5, one day before Democratic delegates are due to gather in Syracuse to cast endorsement votes in statewide races. Those votes will determine which candidates carry the party’s imprimatur and can automatically advance to the June 23 primary ballot.
Delgado, who has been lieutenant governor since 2022, is waging a long-shot challenge against the governor who appointed and ran with him in her first bid for a full term. He entered the race when Hochul appeared vulnerable and rivals were circling, but the latest poll shows he has gained little name recognition and fallen further behind Hochul.
Hochul, Delgado polling heading into Dem convention
Hochul led Delgado by 64%-11% among Democratic voters in the Siena College poll released Tuesday. New Yorkers in general have given the governor lukewarm ratings for a few years, and she notched her highest favorability score yet in the new poll: 49% of those polled had a favorable view of her, compared to 40% whose views were unfavorable.
Delgado has been courting progressive support with more left-leaning stances and has won endorsements from several progressive groups and lawmakers. Both he and Hochul announced their running mates on Wednesday as the convention neared. Delgado’s pick for lieutenant governor was India Walton, the progressive activist who made waves by winning a Buffalo mayoral primary in 2021.
Hochul chose Adrienne Adams, the former New York City council speaker who left office in December when term limits ended her eight-year council stint.
James, who has been New York’s attorney general since 2019 and is seeking a third term this year, praised both Hochul and her new running mate in Wednesday’s endorsement statement, saying “they’re both dedicated public servants, and thanks to them, our state is safer and costs are coming down for working people.”
Hochul’s choice for political partner drew jeers from the state Republican Party and Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, the GOP governor candidate.
“Leave it to Kathy Hochul to select a radical running mate that welcomed the migrant crisis, defunded the NYPD by a billion dollars, and chased away thousands of jobs to other states,” Blakeman said in a statement.
Blakeman has been firing campaign salvos at Hochul since entering the race in December but has made no gains in the polling. Hochul led him by 54%-28% in the new Siena poll, a 26-point gap on par with her 25-point lead over him in December. No Republican has won statewide office in New York for 24 years.
What to know about Mamdani endorsement of Hochul
Mamdani’s endorsement of Hochul cemented an alliance between the politically moderate governor and the democratic socialist she endorsed last year in his mayoral run, at some political risk to her.
“I have come to trust Governor Hochul as someone willing to engage in an honest dialogue that leads to results,” Mamdani wrote in an op-ed published in The Nation. “New Yorkers deserve leaders who believe in transformation.”
Blakeman pounced on the endorsement by the left-wing mayor, whom Republican have often invoked in political jabs since his rise last year to paint Democrats as extreme.
“We all know Kathy Hochul cut a secret deal with Zohran Mamdani to suddenly get his endorsement,” Blakeman said. “Was it higher taxes to fill his budget gaps? Closing prisons and letting criminals back on the street? Pushing a big government socialist agenda that threatens private property and puts government in control of your home? Whatever the deal was, hardworking men and women are the ones who will pay the price.”
Chris McKenna covers government and politics for The Journal News and USA TODAY Network. Reach him at CMcKenna@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Hochul supported by Mamdani, NY Dems gather to vote on governor’s race
Reporting by Chris McKenna, New York State Team / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
