Mixed support for Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado in his hometown of Schenectady may demonstrate the challenge the gubernatorial hopeful has in front of him.
During a recent rally at the Schenectady YMCA, Paul O’Brien handed Delgado a rock.
The event was dubbed a homecoming for the lieutenant governor, offering a chance for Schenectadians to celebrate the nascent gubernatorial bid of one of their own. And O’Brien wanted to encourage the 48-year-old Delgado, whom the retired teacher still remembers as the precocious high school sophomore in his English class at Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons School.
“He was creative, imaginative, curious intellectually, and always eager to discuss issues in a very positive way,” he said.
So, at the rally, O’Brien gave his former student a rock with a single word of inspiration: Courage.
That may be exactly what it will take for Delgado’s upstart primary campaign to be successful.
For all the support Delgado may enjoy from people like O’Brien, who know him well, he still has a lot of minds to convince. Siena College polling in May found only 12 percent of Democrats support Delgado in the 2026 Democratic primary, compared to 46 percent supporting Gov. Kathy Hochul. Delgado, who currently lives in Rhinebeck, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Delgado underwent a messy public break with Hochul earlier this year, announcing he would not run with her again.
Delgado has his work cut out for him, said Zoe Oxley, a political science professor at Union College in Schenectady.
“But I would say this far out from a primary election, the polls can be quite soft,” she said.
So, Oxley said, the race can change. But the dynamics at play in Schenectady may very well highlight the broader dynamics of the race. While Schenectady progressive leaders say they back Delgado, moderate Democrats have quickly rallied behind Hochul.
The Schenectady County Democratic Committee even sent out a press release the day before Delgado’s homecoming rally with statements from city Mayor Gary McCarthy, County Legislature Chairman Gary Hughes and Committee Chairman Frank Salamone expressing their support for the incumbent.
Hughes says since taking over in 2021, Hochul has had a profound and noticeable impact on the Electric City and the county as a whole and he doesn’t see a need for change.
“I see the governor’s unprecedented impact on our community, she really is a champion for Schenectady County. She has committed herself to many of the issues that are forefront for the legislature, support for families, support for education, she’s done a tremendous amount of support for housing in Schenectady,” he said.
Still, Oxley says she doesn’t view the Democratic Committee’s statements as an indication of opposition by the Schenectady County Democratic Committee as a whole.
“I think it speaks more to who the established party leaders are looking towards for their support for next year. And I do think that Delgado is positioning himself to be running against the establishment,” she said.
Schenectady’s more progressive leaders like City Council President Marion Porterfield say they are supporting Delgado precisely because they see him as a champion of the people.
“Because I believe we have a lot of the same values in terms of supporting people, making sure that all people in New York state are included in all of the things that are happening,” she said.
City Councilor Damonni Farley is joining Porterfield in supporting Delgado. Farley views the challenger as a leader who can bring bold changes to the state and Democratic Party.
But he says some may see Delgado’s challenge as a split in the party – a view he cautions against.
“The party should really welcome this. I think that everyone understands the value of competition and it’s a little harder, a little more difficult to accept that when you’re the one being challenged. But I think it’s really what is needed,” he said.
Retired teacher O’Brien says he’s stayed in touch with Delgado over the years, supporting his successful campaign for Congress, inviting him to speak in English classes, and grabbing the occasional cup of coffee.
Despite voting for Hochul in 2022, O’Brien says he supports Delgado’s primary challenge and may even register as a Democrat to do so.
“I’m an independent but to vote in the primary you have to be registered, so I have given some thought to becoming a Democrat just so I could vote in the primary for him,” he said.
As O’Brien weighs that decision, he still fondly remembers Delgado as a gifted student, a persuasive leader comfortable going against the grain.
“Discussions in class, you can sometimes move in the direction of a consensus; kids are nodding their heads and so forth. And then he would say sometimes ‘well maybe you could look at it this way or what about this? ‘ And most cases it was a pretty good thought,” O’Brien said.
