Gov. Hochul, LG Delgado win Democratic contests, Rep. Zeldin is Republican nominee

Governor Kathy Hochul and Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado each easily held off Democratic primary challengers and Rep. Lee Zeldin cruised to a Republican primary victory on June 28, setting up the ballot for November’s general election.

Gov. Hochul was declared the winner not long after polls closed at 9 p.m., easily outpacing challengers Jumaane Williams and Tom Suozzi; officials waited a little longer to declare Lieutenant Governor Delgado the winner in his separate race to keep the seat to which he was appointed in late Spring. Party insiders had expressed concern that challenger Ana Maria Arhcila, who had the backing of the Working Families Party and the endorsement of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, could surprise at Tuesday’s polls, but LG Delgado won easily.

Unlike primaries, candidates for governor and lieutenant governor share a ballot line in the general election; those same Democratic insiders are pleased that the June 28 results preserve the Hochul/Delgado partnership.

Rep. Zeldin also declared victory well before midnight, easily topping runners-up Andrew Giuliani, Rob Astorino, and Harry Wilson. He’ll join the November ballot with his running mate, former New York Police Department Deputy Inspector Alison Esposito.

The three victorious candidates gave impassioned speeches during the post-election rallies, setting a likely combative tone for the campaign to come.

Primaries also were held throughout New York for state Assembly seats; AOC-backed progressives hoping to take seats from incumbents were, for the most part, disappointed by losses; unofficial Board of Election tallies on Wednesday, June 29, show only one Assembly incumbent Democrat losing to his farther-left-leaning challenger.

Up next: August 23 primary elections for New York State Senate and the state’s U.S. House of Representative races.

Otsego County’s state Senator, Peter Oberacker, faces a primary challenge from fellow Republican Terry Bernardo – the former chairperson of the Ulster County Legislature.

New York’s state Senate and Congressional primary races shifted to late August after courts rejected election district lines.