Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado announced he would end his primary campaign against Gov. Kathy Hochul last week, leaving an easier path for her to potentially win another term.

Delgado launched his campaign back in June when Hochul faced greater political uncertainty. A Siena College poll conducted from June 23 to June 26, 2025 found that only 42 percent of those surveyed had a favorable opinion of Hochul. Now, a record 49 percent of voters approve of Hochul’s performance as governor, according to Siena’s most recent poll.

At the state Democratic Party convention on Feb. 6, 85 percent of members backed Hochul for reelection. Four days later, Delgado and India Walton, whom Delgado selected to run as lieutenant governor, officially suspended their quest for the governor’s office.

“After much consideration, I’ve concluded that there simply is no viable path forward,” Delgado said in a Feb. 10 statement. “And though my campaign has come to an end, I fully intend to do all I can in our effort to build a more humane, affordable and equitable state that serves all New Yorkers. I will also support Democrats in our effort to hold the line against Trump and take back our democracy.”

Delgado’s announcement came as Hochul quickly consolidated support from a wide swath of Democrats. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani officially endorsed Hochul’s reelection bid in an opinion piece for The Nation, similar to how Hochul explained her endorsement for Mamdani in an opinion submitted to the New York Times in September.

She also received backing last week from all congressional Democrats, including Rep. Tom Suozzi, the Long Island Democrat who joined a primary race against Hochul in 2022.

“Gov. Hochul has spent all year uniting her big-tent party around a vision for affordability and safety for every New York family,” Sarafina Chitika, communications director for Hochul’s campaign, said in a statement. “Thanks to her leadership, our campaign and our party are strong and ready to defeat Donald Trump and his enablers up and down the ballot, take back the House, and hand Bruce Blakeman yet another loss this November.”

Earlier this month, Hochul selected Adrienne Adams, former speaker of the New York City Council and mayoral candidate in last year’s race, as her lieutenant governor nominee.

On the Republican side, this year’s gubernatorial primary has also seen shakeups. Rep. Elise Stefanik, whom President Donald Trump first nominated last year to be ambassador to the United Nations before withdrawing her nomination to better support a thin Republican majority in the House, announced her plan to run against Hochul in November.

One month later, Stefanik withdrew from her campaign and announced her intent not to seek reelection to her congressional seat up in the North Country.

Her departure from the race leaves two declared candidates — Larry Sharpe, a libertarian political activist, and Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman.

The state Republican Party officially endorsed Blakeman’s bid for governor last Wednesday at a convention in Garden City, Long Island.

“Republicans are united to fire Kathy Hochul and finally end the disastrous policies that have made New York unaffordable and less safe for young families like mine,” said Benji Federman, chair of the Broome County Republican Party. “Bruce Blakeman and our entire slate will work everyday to ensure a brighter future for all New Yorkers.”

Statewide primary elections will be held on June 23.