DEFIANT DELGADO: Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado’s break with his boss, Gov. Kathy Hochul, over the deepening crisis surrounding President Joe Biden, raised eyebrows in Albany — and Washington. Hochul today made light of the suggestion she was “furious” when Delgado gave her a heads up he would release a statement calling for Biden to step down as the party’s nominee. But she was also displeased with Delgado’s surprise show of political independence. The governor — who has been a stalwart Biden supporter — said Delgado and other Democrats who have called for a new presidential nominee are, in effect, helping Donald Trump’s cause. “Every day we're talking about people who have a difference of opinion is a day we’re not talking about the existential threat of Donald Trump becoming president,” she said. Hochul’s comments, made at an unrelated press conference, were also another staunch defense of Biden. To underscore her point, the governor even held aloft a physical copy of Project 2025, a policy roadmap for the next GOP administration orchestrated by the Heritage Foundation. Delgado’s announcement also stunned Democrats because Delgado, now a state-level leader, made an already delicate situation worse for New York’s Black Democrats in the House who face mounting pressure as calls for Biden to end his campaign continue. A person familiar with the thinking of Congressional Black Caucus members from New York said Delgado’s statement was an unnecessary irritant. “It’s undermining the governor and makes her look weak,” said the person, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly. “And two, I think the delegation wants to move in unison no matter what happens.” A person in Delgado's orbit said the lieutenant governor was not attempting to hurt Hochul, but felt a responsibility to speak out. "This idea we shouldn’t trust our eyes and ears when there is time to impact this situation," the person said. "— it would just seem like a mistake to just let it go." Delgado is a former House member from a battleground Hudson Valley seat. He was appointed lieutenant governor, an often thankless and little-noticed post in state government, by Hochul in 2022. Former Gov. David Paterson, himself a No. 2 in Eliot Spitzer’s administration before being sworn in 2008, said Delgado showed respect by calling her before his announcement. “If he had blindsided her, believe me, he’d be buried somewhere in the North Country right now,” he said. Delgado joined Hudson Valley Rep. Pat Ryan yesterday as the two latest New York Democrats to call for a new top of the Democrat ticket. Other Democratic candidates in swing districts still haven’t changed their view on the situation. Upstate candidate Josh Riley, running against Rep. Marc Molinaro, has come the closest to calling Biden to step aside as he emphasizes that voters are “not wrong” to want new leadership. But many Democrats around the state are still strongly pro-Biden, and Delgado’s stance certainly makes him an outlier on the state level. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie’s spokesperson told Playbook he is still strongly in favor of Biden being the Democratic nominee, and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said the same. “The President has done an outstanding job and he has my full support,” she said in a statement today. Stewart-Cousins also leads the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, which is focused on winning the nation's state legislatures. When asked if the reports that she was “furious” about Delgado’s decision were true, Hochul balked. “Let me ask someone who was in the vehicle with me, Avi, did I look furious?” she asked her press secretary, Avi Small, who was with her when she received the call. “No,” he said. “Okay, there’s your answer,” she said. She then ended the press conference. — Jason Beeferman and Nick Reisman
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