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Working Families Party endorses neither Hochul nor Delgado
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Feb 8, 2026
Modified Feb 8, 2026
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Courtesy of the governor's office
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Feb 8, 2026
Modified Feb 8, 2026
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The Working Families Party said it had opted not to back a candidate for governor in the June primary following a “rigorous and animated debate” during its statewide convention Saturday night.
The decision reflects the progressive third party’s reluctance to embrace Gov. Kathy Hochul, a moderate Democrat, as she seeks reelection and the insufficient groundswell support for her leftist challenger, Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado.
Hochul, who is focusing her campaign on pushing back against threats from President Donald Trump, had been hoping to unite Democrats around her, including the progressive faction. Before the convention, she secured the endorsements of Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
But the endorsements of New York’s most prominent progressives was not enough to sway the Working Families Party, which has historically sought to pressure moderate Democrats on issues like raising taxes on the rich.
“The Party made a serious and principled decision - one that reflects our unwavering commitment to fight for working people,” the party’s co-directors Ana Maria Archila and Jasmine Gripper said in a statement.
The two leaders described Hochul’s recent policies on childcare and immigration as “meaningful progress for working families.” As part of her budget proposal, the governor has said she would fund the first two years of a program for two-year-olds in New York City. And she is seeking to introduce legislation that would bar local police from collaborating with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
But they also indicated that progressives are unwilling to put aside their longstanding demand for the wealthiest New Yorkers to pay more taxes to fund social programs like childcare.
“In Albany, we must raise revenue by taxing the rich to ensure we can truly deliver an affordability agenda for New York's working families,” Archila and Gripper said.
Hochul has steadfastly resisted the idea of higher taxes. Mamdani, who made taxing the rich a core part of his agenda, is pointing to the city’s multibillion-dollar fiscal deficit as yet another reason why the state needs to find ways to generate more money.
“Governor Hochul is building a big-tent coalition that grows stronger every day, bringing together leaders like Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Attorney General Letitia James, and scores of elected officials and labor leaders from across the state to fight back against Donald Trump, Bruce Blakeman, and the MAGA movement,” Hochul campaign spokesperson Ryan Radulovacki said.
Despite his endorsement of Hochul, the mayor indicated that the governor may still face a pressure campaign from the left.
“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.”
Spokespeople for Delgado’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This story has been updated with comment from Hochul campaign spokesperson Ryan Radulovacki.
Tagged
Kathy Hochul
Politics
new york state
Elizabeth Kim
Elizabeth Kim is a reporter on the People and Power desk who covers mayoral power. She previously covered the pandemic, housing, redevelopment and public spaces. A native of Queens, she speaks fluent Mandarin. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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