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Gov. Hochul kicks off campaign: 'You don't want to mess with the bad-ass women of New York'
By
Jimmy Vielkind
and
Samuel King
Published Feb 6, 2026
Modified Feb 6, 2026
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Samuel King/NYPNN
By
Jimmy Vielkind
and
Samuel King
Published Feb 6, 2026
Modified Feb 6, 2026
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Democrats forged their statewide ticket for 2026 on Friday, as Gov. Kathy Hochul argued she deserves a second full term in office to push back against President Donald Trump’s policies and continue the initiatives she’s enacted.
“We can achieve a better New York and a better future for everyone who calls this place their home,” Hochul said.
Convention delegates gave Hochul several standing ovations during her 20-plus minute speech. She then appeared on stage with former New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, her recently anointed running mate.
In their remarks, both women pointed to expanding child tax credits and banning cellphones in schools. The governor is currently pushing for a $260 billion budget that doesn’t raise income taxes, as well as new laws to restrict federal immigration enforcement.
Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado broke with his one-time ticketmate and mounted a spirited but ultimately unsuccessful challenge to Hochul’s nomination.
Candidates need to receive at least 25% of the weighted votes of the assembled delegates to secure a spot on the June primary ballot. Delgado got 14.7%.
He schmoozed with the delegates at a hotel bar the night before the vote, and gave a fiery speech at a Friday morning breakfast. He vowed to circulate nominating petitions to continue his primary.
“Everywhere I go in this state, the people I talk to, not folks that are inside of politics … they are and still remain hungry for change. They are and still remain determined to have a voice,” Delgado said.
His tally was partly buoyed by a last-minute eruption among Democratic leaders in Brooklyn. Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte-Hermelyn, chair of the county party committee, temporarily rescinded her endorsement of Hochul after the governor announced Adams as her running mate because there was no “meaningful collaboration” in the selection, Bichotte-Hermleyn said. By Friday, the Brooklyn Democratic Party announced it was “prepared to move forward in unity” with Hochul.
Delgado is running as a progressive and named India Walton, a democratic socialist from Buffalo, as his running mate. He has criticized Hochul for refusing to raise taxes on the rich.
The Buffalo-born governor and Adams, who lives in Southeast Queens, are both political moderates. But in the run-up to Friday’s voting, the governor rolled out endorsements from local party leaders in New York City, leaders of the state Senate and Assembly, major labor unions and every member of the state’s congressional delegation. That includes progressive U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi, a moderate Long Islander who ran a primary challenge against Hochul in 2022.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani – a member of the Democratic Socialists of America who soundly defeated Adrienne Adams in last year’s mayoral primary – endorsed Hochul on Thursday.
“The governor and I do not agree on everything,” Mamdani wrote in an essay published in The Nation. “We have real differences, particularly when it comes to taxation of the wealthiest, at a moment defined by profound income inequality. I continue to believe that the wealthiest among us can afford to pay just a little bit more.”
In addition to the contested nomination for governor, Comptroller Tom DiNapoli bested a trio of challengers for his job as the state’s top fiscal officer. They are Drew Warshaw, Raj Goyle and Adem Bunkeddeko.
Attorney General Letitia James was renominated without opposition.
Republicans will hold a convention next week on Long Island. GOP leaders have rallied behind Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman after U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik ended her bid in December.
Blakeman won a sound re-election last year in part by making Mamdani, then a candidate in the adjacent city, a boogeyman. The county executive issued a statement attacking Mamdani's endorsement of Hochul.
“We all know Kathy Hochul cut a secret deal with Zohran Mamdani to suddenly get his endorsement,” Blakeman said, suggesting it could lead to a tax increase. “Whatever the deal was, hardworking men and women are the ones who will pay the price.”
Hochul downplayed Delgado’s challenge while speaking to reporters on Thursday. She said her third pick as lieutenant governor would stick. Before Delgado was appointed, Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin resigned after a bribery indictment.
“I can’t control people’s ambition,” Hochul said of Delgado. In Adams, she said, “I have found someone who understands this is not about our egos.”
In her speech to delegates, Hochul attacked Blakeman over his endorsement from Trump, as well as the partnership between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Nassau County Police Department.
“There is at least one person in this state who agrees with having a lawless secret police wreaking havoc in our streets,” Hochul said. Blakeman has attacked the governor’s proposal to restrict cooperation with ICE and says his policing pact has led to the deportation of criminals.
Hochul ended her speech by saying that winning back seats in the U.S. House was as important for the party as her own election. National Democratic leaders, including Nancy Pelosi, suggested Hochul’s poor 2022 electoral performance in the state contributed to Republican gains.
"We have to win enough races in Congress here in the state of New York – and not do crazy stuff in this state, OK?” Hochul said. “Whether you’re in Washington or Nassau County, you don’t want to mess with the bad-ass women of New York.”
Tagged
Kathy Hochul
Politics
new york state
Jimmy Vielkind
Jimmy Vielkind covers how state government and politics affect people throughout New York. He has covered Albany since 2008, most recently as a reporter for The Wall Street Journal. Jimmy led a team of reporters that won a New York Press Club award for coverage of Andrew Cuomo’s downfall and was on a team that won a Gerald Loeb Award for coverage of Amazon’s HQ2 process. A native of the Capitol Region, Jimmy has two degrees in urban planning. His position is funded by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Reach Jimmy at [email protected].
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Samuel King
Samuel King is a Capitol News Bureau reporter for the New York Public News Network.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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