Hochul primary challenger picks democratic socialist, once arrested for harassment, as running mate

Kathy Hochul

Hochul primary challenger picks democratic socialist, once arrested for harassment, as running mate

New York Lt Gov. Antonio Delgado faces a steep uphill climb as he mounts a Democratic gubernatorial primary challenge against Gov Kathy Hochul

Paul Steinhauser Fox News

Published

February 4, 2026 8:29pm EST

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New York Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado, who is mounting a longshot Democratic primary challenge against his boss, Gov. Kathy Hochul, as she runs 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 beef 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 New Yorkers are hungry for," Delgado said in a statement. "She has never been afraid to challenge the status quo, stand up to powerful interests, and put working families first."

Walton grabbed national headlines in 2021 by pulling off an upset victory over then-Buffalo Mayor Bryon Brown in the Democratic primary. Her primary victory was seen as a sign at the time of the rise of the progressive movement. But she ended up losing in a landslide in the general election to Brown, who ran as a write-in candidate.

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Democratic Buffalo mayoral primary candidate India Walton delivers her victory speech after defeating incumbent Byron Brown, on Tuesday, June 22, 2021 in Buffalo, N.Y. Brown, running as a write-in-candidate, later defeated Walton in the general election. (Robert Kirkham/Buffalo News)

It was during that heated campaign battle that her past troubles, including a 2014 arrest, where she was charged with 2nd degree harassment, grabbed 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 I’d like to speak with them personally and handle the situation like adults, one claimed that they were threatened by me and feared for their life, despite the fact that I am 4’11’’ and was going on disability for surgery," Walton told WIVB-TV.

The case was later dismissed in court.

A year later, Walton was ticketed for aggravated unlicensed operation following a traffic stop.

And Walton had two earlier legal controversies: the Erie County Department of Social Services brought a fraud case against her over food stamp assistance in 2003, and a year later, Walton and her then-husband appeared on a tax warrant issued by state officials, over unpaid back taxes. Documents show it took them five years to pay off the penalties and interest owed.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Delgado campaign for comment, but did not receive a response at the time this story posted.

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Delgado launched his bid for governor last June, in the rare instance of a lieutenant governor taking on a sitting governor.

His move to name Walton as his running mate will likely be overshadowed later this week if New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, endorses Hochul.

The governor backed Mamdani, the Democratic nominee, last September as he battled former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican nominee 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.

FILE - Rep. Antonio Delgado, D-N.Y., speaks at a Congressional Black Caucus press conference on the importance of investing in Black communities at the Capitol Visitors Center on May 22, 2019, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images)

New York Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado is challenging Gov. Kathy Hochul in the Democratic gubernatorial primary. (Paul Morigi/Getty Images)

The latest public opinion poll in the Democratic primary race, from Siena University, indicated Hochul with a massive 53-point lead over Delgado.

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Hochul has not yet announced who she'll name as her running mate. The governor confirmed this week that she's made a decision and will announce it by the end of Friday's Democratic state convention 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 all-but-certain GOP gubernatorial nominee.

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President Donald Trump endorsed Blakeman in December, after Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik dropped her bid for governor.

Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the campaign trail from coast to coast."

Hochul primary challenger picks democratic socialist, once arrested for harassment, as running mate