New York’s Democratic lieutenant governor primary results

Lt. Gov Antonio Delgado officially became the party nominee on Tuesday after securing 57% of votes in the primary contest with 96% of election districts reporting, according to preliminary results from the New York state Board of Elections. Ana María Archila, who ran alongside New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, came in second, beating Rep. Tom Suozzi’s running mate, Diana Reyna. 

Delgado took the podium shortly after 10 p.m. at the Tribeca Rooftop, where his supporters were gathered alongside Gov. Kathy Hochul to watch the results come in. “This is the fight of our lives,” Delgado told the crowd after condemning the Supreme Court’s recent reversal of Roe v. Wade.

This is a race that might have been over the moment that the state Legislature passed a bill allowing the Democratic Party – that is, Hochul – to get Delgado on the ballot. 

Brian Benjamin, Hochul’s first pick for LG, had suspended his campaign, vowing to fight the federal charges accusing him of trading political favors for illegal campaign contributions, given through straw donors. That was a huge opportunity for Ana María Archila, a progressive nonprofit leader, and Diana Reyna, a former New York City Council member, who had each been running for months. 

Enter Delgado. A former member of Congress and a proven campaigner whose story of being a basketball player, a Rhodes Scholar, a corporate lawyer and a rapper was able to play in TV ads across the state, thanks to his massive campaign warchest. As of two weeks before the primary, Delgado’s campaign reported spending $3.8 million. Archila had only spent $147,000, and Reyna, $277,000.

Going into primary day, an upset by Archila remained a stubborn, if slim, possibility. Williams came relatively close to unseating Hochul in the 2018 primary for lieutenant governor, and the progressive movement she represents has notched some major wins in more local races since then. She had been active on the campaign trail, backed by progressive leaders including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Nydia Velázquez, and would be the first out queer person to win a statewide primary in New York.

But Archila’s effort wasn’t nearly enough, in what is shaping up to be a brutal primary night for the progressive movement across the state. Incumbents, and more moderate candidates won the day.

Delgado will now officially join Hochul on the Democratic ticket in the November general election. And history will be made if they win. All three candidates on the primary ballot were Latino. And Delgado would be the first Afro Latino candidate to be elected statewide in New York. 

Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado: 57%

Ana María Archila: 23%

Diana Reyna: 13%

With 12,464 out of 12,860 election districts reporting

City & State will be updating this story with initial election results as they come in on Tuesday night.