Democratic Lieutenant Governor Candidates Antonio Delgado, Ana Maria Archila, and Diana Reyna

It’s a three-way race for Democrats running for the Lieutenant Governor seat.

Antonio Delgado, Governor Kathy Hochul‘s recently named lieutenant governor, has a significant financial advantage and the Democratic Party endorsement.

Delgado, a Schenectady native, is an attorney who won election to the House of Representatives in 2018 and again in 2020, representing a district in the Hudson Valley. He lives in Rhinebeck, in Dutchess County, and describes himself as Afro-Latino.

The contenders are each linked to a different candidate for governor, but in New York primaries they’re elected separately.

This opens up the possibility that Hochul could win her primary but have to run in the general election – and govern – with a lieutenant governor who doesn’t fully support her agenda.

Ana María Archila is the running mate of the most left-leaning gubernatorial candidate, New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, and is backed by the Working Families Party and other progressive organizations and political figures such as Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Archila, who was born in Colombia and lives in Brooklyn, is a longtime progressive activist who co-founded Make the Road NY, an immigrant-rights organization.

The third candidate, Diana Reyna, is the running mate of Representative Tom Suozzi.

A first generation Dominican-American, the Brooklyn resident served 12 years in the New York City Council, where she said she focused on efforts to fight gang violence, spur economic development and encourage the construction of new affordable housing. She also was a deputy Brooklyn borough president.

The last Democratic primary for lieutenant governor was a close race, with Hochul defeating Williams, then a New York City Council member, by 53% to 47%.

In the general election, party nominees run on a joint ticket.

There is no Republican primary for lieutenant governor, with Alison Esposito running unopposed for the nomination.

Polls are open in Chautauqua County from 6:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. Visit votechautauqua.com for more information on polling sites and to view sample ballots.

Governor Kathy Hochul

Governor Kathy Hochul is pushing state lawmakers to change the state’s election law and allow candidates on the ballot to be removed as she searches for a replacement to her former lieutenant governor, Brian Benjamin.

Spectrum News reports the effort to change the law included a phone call to at least one of the Democratic leaders in the Legislature, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, who has been ambivalent about making the change with only weeks to go before early voting begins in the Democratic primary.

Hochul is calling for the law after the resignation of Benjamin from the lieutenant governor’s office following his indictment on five counts of felony corruption charges. Currently, a candidate for office after accepting a nomination cannot be removed from the ballot unless there are narrow circumstances, such as leaving the state or dying.

Speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Hochul indicated Benjamin is unlikely to leave the state. The governor acknowledged the time line for replacing Benjamin is constrained by the political calendar.

Early voting begins June 18 and absentee ballots must be printed and mailed in the coming weeks.

State Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, a Democrat from Westchester County, has indicated she will introduce a bill that would allow for the removal of candidates facing criminal charges or a terminal illness. The measure could gain a floor vote in her chamber.

But Democratic lawmakers who control the state Senate and Assembly have been hesitant to support making changes to the election law ahead of the primary vote.

Benjamin has suspended his campaign. Activist Ana Maria Archila, the preferred running mate of New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, and former New York City Councilwoman Diana Reyna, running with Representative Tom Suozzi, are competing for the nomination.

Brian Benjamin

CNN reports New York Lieutenant Governor Brian Benjamin resigned Tuesday after being arrested and indicted on campaign finance fraud charges.

Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement that she had “accepted Brian Benjamin’s resignation effective immediately. While the legal process plays out, it is clear to both of us that he cannot continue to serve as Lieutenant Governor. New Yorkers deserve absolute confidence in their government, and I will continue working every day to deliver for them.”

Benjamin was appointed to his position by Hochul after she took over the state’s top job from Andrew Cuomo following his resignation last summer. Hochul, who just completed contentious budget negotiations in Albany, will now come under scrutiny over the vetting process that preceded her decision to elevate Benjamin, who finished fourth in the 2021 Democratic primary for New York City comptroller — a campaign in which prosecutors now say he sought and received illegal contributions. Benjamin is also accused of lying on a background check that followed Hochul’s decision to make him her top deputy.

Despite stepping down, Benjamin will, in accordance with state law, remain on the primary ballot as the endorsed candidate of the Democratic Party.

A senior state party official defended Hochul against criticism of her vetting process, referencing prosecutors’ allegation that Benjamin had lied on his official background check.

“The US attorney made clear in his indictment today that one of the things was an issue was Brian Benjamin’s lack of honesty in the vetting process,” the official said. “I don’t know how you fault the governor or her vetting team, frankly, for getting misinformation. She does not have access to investigations ongoing in the US attorney’s office.”

Benjamin is running against two other Democrats, Ana Maria Archila, a longtime progressive leader supported by the liberal Working Families Party, and Diana Reyna, a former member of the New York City Council.

In a joint statement, Reyna and Congressman Tom Suozzi, who is challenging Hochul in the Democratic gubernatorial primary, cast Benjamin’s arrest as a mark against the new governor.

“Today’s bombshell is an indictment on Kathy Hochul’s lack of experience and poor judgement,” Suozzi and Reyna said. “Hochul’s first decision was to pick her LG, who she entrusted with leading her failed bail reform effort, negotiating the budget and last week said she had the utmost faith in him despite many reports of investigations into his conduct in office.”

According to an indictment unsealed Tuesday, Benjamin was indicted on multiple counts, including bribery and honest services wire fraud conspiracy, bribery, honest services wire fraud and two counts of falsification of records, for an alleged conspiracy that took place while he was a state senator.

A source familiar with the matter says Benjamin turned himself in to authorities Tuesday morning. Benjamin pleaded not guilty in Manhattan federal court and is out on $250,000 bond, according to court documents.

In a statement confirming his resignation, Benjamin’s attorneys said he “will focus his energies on explaining in court why his actions were laudable, not criminal.”