Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed upstate Congressman Antonio Delgado as her new lieutenant governor Tuesday, May 3, filling the vacancy for her second-in-command left by Brian Benjamin who resigned amid federal campaign corruption charges last month.
The move comes after lawmakers passed and the governor signed a law Monday evening making it easier for Benjamin to get off the primary ballot in this year’s election.
Delgado, who is Afro-Latino, represents the Hudson Valley and the Catskills and was the first person of color to represent upstate New York in Congress.
“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 in a statement.
“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 governor added.
Representative Delgado was elected to the House in 2018 to serve New York’s 19th District.
He is the chairperson of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Commodity Exchanges, Energy, and Credit. He also sits on the House Small Business and Transportation and Infrastructure committees.
He lived in New York City for some years as a young lawyer, according to Hochul’s office.
He grew up in Schenectady and lives in Rhinebeck with his wife Lacey and their twin 8-year-old sons, Maxwell and Coltrane.
“New Yorkers deserve a Lieutenant Governor who’s working day and night to make lives better for working people and their families,” Delgado said in a statement. “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.”
Former Lieutenant Governor Benjamin quit the state’s second-in-command on April 12 after being arrested on federal charges that he during his time as a Harlem State Senator directed $50,000 in state funds to a nonprofit organization controlled by a real estate developer Gerald Migdol in exchange for contributions to his failed campaign for city comptroller in 2021.
This story first appeared on amNY.com.
