New York Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado, mounting a Democratic primary challenge to his boss, Gov. Kathy Hochul, while running for re-election, is choosing a far-left politician with a history of legal and financial troubles as his running mate.
Delgado on Wednesday named former Buffalo mayoral candidate India Walton, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, as his running mate, in an effort to shore up his support among progressives as he runs from the left against Hochul, a moderate Democrat.
“India Walton represents exactly the kind of transformational and morally courageous leadership that New Yorkers are hungry for,” Delgado said in a statement. “She has never been afraid to challenge the status quo, stand up for powerful interests and put working families first.”
Walton made national headlines in 2021 with a victory in the Democratic primary over then-Buffalo Mayor Bryon Brown. Her major victory was seen as a sign at the time of the rise of the progressive movement. But she ultimately lost in the general election in a landslide to Brown, who ran as a write-in candidate.
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It was during that heated campaign battle that her past troubles, including a 2014 arrest in which she was charged with second-degree harassment, gained attention. Walton said at the time that the charge was due to a disagreement with a fellow student at a children’s hospital.
“When I politely told them that I would like to speak to them personally and address the situation as adults, one person claimed that they were being threatened by me and feared for their lives, despite the fact that I am 6 feet tall and had to be disabled due to surgery,” Walton said. WIVB TV.
The case was later dismissed by the court.
A year later, Walton was ticketed for aggravated unlicensed operation after a traffic stop.
And Walton already had two legal controversies: The Erie County Department of Social Services filed a fraud case against her in 2003 over food stamp assistance, and a year later, Walton and her then-husband appeared on a tax warrant issued by state officials for unpaid back taxes. Documents show it took them five years to pay off the fines and interest owed.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Delgado campaign for comment but did not receive a response by the time this story was posted.
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Delgado launched his bid for governor last June, in the rare event of a lieutenant governor taking on a sitting governor.
His decision to name Walton as his running mate will likely be overshadowed later this week when New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, endorses Hochul.
The governor endorsed Mamdani, the Democratic candidate, last September as he battled former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa in the mayoral race in the nation’s most populous city.
Politico reports that Mamdani will return the favor and endorse Hochul later this week.
New York Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado is challenging Governor Kathy Hochul in the Democratic gubernatorial primary. (Paul Morigi/Getty Images)
The latest poll in the University of Siena Democratic primary showed Hochul with a huge 53-point lead over Delgado.
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Hochul has not yet announced who she will appoint as running mate. The governor confirmed this week that she has made a decision and will announce it at the end of the Democratic State Convention Friday in Syracuse, New York.
Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York is running for re-election in 2026. (Julia Nikhinson/AP Photo)
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman is the Republican Party’s almost certain nominee for governor.
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President Donald Trump endorsed Blakeman in December after Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik dropped her bid for governor.
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