New York Governor Hochul announced on the 4th of February that former New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams will be her running mate in the 2026 gubernatorial election. This appointment makes Hochul the first major party candidate in New York state history to run for governor and lieutenant governor with an “all-female partnership,” sparking a new political wave within the Democratic Party.
Hochul’s announcement comes as her current lieutenant governor, Antonio Delgado, decided to challenge her in the June Democratic primary. Delgado has indicated that he will team up with India Walton, a democratic socialist from Buffalo, to create pressure from the left within the party against Hochul.
Adams served as a New York City Council member and council speaker from 2017 until the end of 2024, representing the southeastern Queens district. During her tenure, she focused on affordable housing, childcare, and children’s policies, and ran for the Democratic primary for New York City mayor in 2025 but was unsuccessful.
In her statement, Hochul expressed the need for a running mate who can advocate for New York families during the campaign and counter the political influence of former President Trump. She criticized GOP gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman’s close relationship with Trump. Adams stated that she will work with Hochul to address the pressures of rising living costs on New Yorkers.
However, the announcement of the lieutenant governor candidate immediately sparked backlash at the local Democratic Party level. The Brooklyn Democratic Committee issued a statement on the 4th of February, announcing the withdrawal of their endorsement for Hochul’s re-election.
The committee stated that following Hochul’s announcement of her lieutenant governor partner, they no longer had the majority support for her re-election and criticized the governor’s campaign team for failing to communicate and coordinate adequately with the Brooklyn Democratic leadership when making significant statewide political decisions. The statement indicated that the Brooklyn delegation at the upcoming state party convention might lean towards opposing votes or choose to abstain.
Brooklyn is one of the most concentrated Democratic voting areas in New York state, and its voting stance has been seen as an important indicator in statewide elections. Democratic insiders point out that the choice of lieutenant governor candidate is not only symbolic positioning but also involves local organization mobilization and internal power balancing within the party.
Since assuming office in 2021, Hochul has prioritized public safety, reducing living costs, and family-related policies as the core of her administration. As the Democratic primary and the 2026 midterm elections approach, this personnel arrangement shows that the gubernatorial race in New York state is gradually reflecting the internal divisions within the Democratic Party in terms of ideology.