Delgado transition still in limbo
Move from House to lieutenant governor complicated by failed redistricting efforts
U.S. Rep. Antonio Delgado is expected to be sworn in as lieutenant governor shortly — but the exact date of when he resigns from Congress and assumes the new position remains unknown, and is holding up a series of election-related events.
The transition has been complicated by shifting dates and political maps for the congressional primaries, a result of failed redistricting efforts by state Democrats.
Based on a reading state law and conversations with the state Board of Elections, the situation includes multiple complexities: If Delgado resigns in the coming weeks, it will trigger the need for a special election. If the Rhinebeck Democrat resigns outside the window of May 25 to June 4, that special election could not be held on the same day as the state's congressional and state Senate primaries, which are now scheduled for Aug. 23.
But if he resigns within that 10-day window, Gov. Kathy Hochul could then issue a proclamation that could result in the special election to fill the remaining months for the 19th Congressional District seat to be held on the same day as a potential primary for the next two-year term.
In that situation, voters with a ballot in the primary would also be given a separate ballot for the special election. Political observers say Democrats would prefer this option, which would tend to drive higher turnout.
Hochul, on the day she announced Delgado was her pick for lieutenant governor, said she would announce the exact date he would assume the position "in the near future," adding it would be "sometime this month." If Hochul appointed Delgado as lieutenant governor in May, it would trigger a special election prior to the primary election on Aug. 23.
Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, a Republican running for the office, wants Hochul to commit to a timeline and is urging the governor to expedite the process.
"If there was a plan, say it," Molinaro said in an interview Thursday. "We assume their plan is to maximize their political benefit."
A standalone special election could benefit Molinaro in the swing district, although he said that is not why he is pulling for it. "I think it's in the best interest of all us to have a special election to fill the seat," he said.
Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan, a Democrat, is expected to seek the seat.
Delgado's spokeswoman did not return a request for comment. The governor's office said that they are "working with the lieutenant governor-designate's team on the transition."
Hochul could wait until after the scheduled legislative session wraps up the first week of June and time Delgado's resignation from Congress and appointment to lieutenant governor on June 6 to align the congressional primary with the special election.
Delgado was announced as the next lieutenant governor after Brian Benjamin, Hochul's first selection for second-in-command, resigned following a federal indictment related to campaign bribery charges; he denies any wrongdoing. Following Benjamin's resignation, state Democrats passed legislation at the wish of the governor to help them remove him from the ballot and replace him with her new designee. Delgado has already been placed on the ballot for the statewide election, which at the moment is still scheduled for June 28.
The exact borders of the future 19th District, which represents much of the Hudson Valley and portions of the Capital Region, remain unknown after Democrat-drawn maps were ruled unconstitutional by the state's highest court.