U.S. Rep. Antonio Delgado (D-NY) is slated to fill New York state’s second-highest office.

On May 3, New York State Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that Delgado would be her replacement lieutenant governor, taking over for Brian Benjamin, who left the office in the wake of embezzlement charges from his time as a state senator. Delgado had previously served as the U.S. representative for New York state’s 19th Congressional District, which was recently redistricted to include Binghamton. Although the redistricting has been struck down by the New York State Court of Appeals, the New York State Democratic Party is challenging the ruling. However, New York state’s 19th Congressional District would still include some parts of Broome County.

In a press release made following the announcement, Delgado said he wants to be a hardworking and attentive lieutenant governor.

“New Yorkers deserve a lieutenant governor who’s working day and night to make lives better for working people and their families,” Delgado said. “Upstate, downstate, doesn’t matter. We all want the same things — security, family and opportunity. The key is to listen to New Yorkers from all walks of life and then be their voice to get the job done.”

Hochul said in the press release that she selected Delgado due to his record of public service.

“I am proud to appoint Antonio Delgado, an outstanding leader and public servant, as lieutenant governor of New York, and I look forward to working with him to usher in a new era of fairness, equity and prosperity for communities across the state,” Hochul said. “We share a belief in working together to get things done for New Yorkers, and Rep. Delgado has an incredible record of doing just that in Congress. With Antonio Delgado by my side serving as lieutenant governor, we will both make history — and make a difference.”

In his new role, Delgado will run on Hochul’s Democratic Party ticket for the upcoming New York gubernatorial elections after swearing into the role later this month. Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo, who represents Binghamton in the New York State Assembly, expressed her belief that Delgado will help Hochul’s campaign.

“Congressman Delgado is a strong addition to the ticket,” Lupardo wrote. “He is energetic and inspiring; characteristics that will help get out the vote.”

Lupardo also voiced her support for Delgado’s appointment.

“Gov. Hochul was looking for a governing partner when she chose Congressman Delgado to fill the vacancy,” Lupardo wrote. “It was a wise choice, given the Congressman’s broad experience, his demonstrated commitment to public service and his problem-solving attitude.”

Earlier in the semester, Delgado visited campus for a Q&A hosted by the Binghamton University College Democrats as part of his tour of his newly redistricted congressional district. Chance Fiorisi, the incoming president for the BU College Democrats and a freshman majoring in political science, gave praise to Delgado as a person and politician.

“[Delgado] is an exceptional man, he has a wonderful family and his work reflects his pragmatic progressive agenda,” Fiorisi wrote. “Delgado is a moderate Democrat, and he works with Republicans across the way. He gets the job done whenever it comes up. I am very happy to see him work with [Gov.] Hochul, and so is our E-Board who has had the chance to meet with Delgado prior to his appointment.”

Also in attendance at Delgado’s Q&A was Claire Devlin, a sophomore double-majoring in political science and environmental studies. Devlin said she supported Delgado’s appointment, but noted that his reelection may have been difficult given redistricting.

“He won in Republican counties and represented one of the most rural districts in the county,” Devlin wrote. “However, with the redistricting, Delgado was running for a seat to represent many people he’d never represented before. He lost half of his constituents. It’s tough to tell if he would have won, but the redistricting definitely posed a challenge. Hochul’s appointment of Delgado ensured he stayed active in government. Hochul’s from Buffalo and Delgado is from Schenectady, so I’m interested to see what happens.”