ALBANY, N.Y. (WBEN/AP) U.S. Rep. Antonio Delgado will serve as New York's next lieutenant governor. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the appointment Tuesday.
Delgado will take on the largely ceremonial role previously held by Democrat Brian Benjamin, who resigned following his arrest on corruption charges.
The appointment comes a day after Hochul signed a law that will allow Benjamin's name to be removed from the ballot in the state's upcoming Democratic primary. It could potentially allow Delgado to run for the lieutenant governor's job if he wants it permanently.
"He has impressive credentials," said Republican strategist Carl Calabrese. "He's a Rhodes Scholar and a Harvard Law graduate. Hopefully they vetted him properly, unlike the Brian Benjamin episode. It looks like a pretty solid choice for the governor," he said.
Calabrese said the choice of Delgado is interesting from a congressional standpoint. The seat has a Republican majority of voters. 134-thousand Republicans to 122-thousand Democrats. "If this seat was not on the Republican competitive list to try to flip in the mid-terms, it is now."
Why would a sitting congressman be interested in being Lieutenant Governor, and being in Governor Hochul's shadow?
There's one reason for that according to Calabrese. "Lieutenant governors are like vice presidents. There's a decent chance that they will become governor
some day. It gives them a chance to build a statewide base. Down the road, he might see himself becoming the successor to Kathy Hochul."
Delgado's current district includes the suburbs of Albany, up through the Hudson Valley and into the Catskills.
