New York’s second-ranking state official wants U.S. President Joe Biden to give up his campaign.
Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado called on Biden, a fellow Democrat, to step aside from the 2024 presidential race on Wednesday, saying it would “add to his legacy” by “ending his campaign and making room for a new leader.”
Delgado’s statement marked a dramatic break from Gov. Kathy Hochul, who first appointed Delgado in 2022 and continues to steadfastly support Biden’s candidacy.
And it came just hours after Rep. Pat Ryan — a Hudson Valley Democrat who succeeded Delgado in the House of Representatives when he stepped down to assume his new role — became the first House Democrat from New York to publicly call on Biden to give up his campaign.
In his statement, Delgado said he is among those who have “legitimate concerns about President Biden’s ability to wage a successful campaign against [Donald] Trump.”
“I believe we should move forward with a nominee capable of reinvigorating and re-energizing Americans who are determined to protect our democracy, and who want to do so with a candidate they believe can win,” Delgado said.
In a statement, Hochul campaign spokesperson Jen Goodman said the governor “has been clear that President Biden is our nominee and he is in this race to win it.”
“While Lt. Gov. Delgado has the right to voice his opinion, Governor Hochul believes Democrats must come together, move forward as a united party, and focus on defeating Donald Trump in November,” Goodman said. “Every day we spend worrying is time away from working toward that goal.”
Delgado’s statement marks his first major break from Hochul.
The pair ran on the same ticket and won a full four-year term in 2022. It came months after Hochul appointed him to the role after her first pick for lieutenant governor, former state Sen. Brian Benjamin of Harlem, resigned after he was hit with bribery-related charges.
Ryan, meanwhile, penned his own op-ed in the Poughkeepsie Journal, saying his Hudson Valley constituents believe both the Democratic and Republican parties have “failed them.”
“For the good of our country, for the future of our kids and grandkids, I am asking Joe Biden to step aside in the upcoming election and deliver on his promise to be a ‘bridge’ to a new generation of leaders,” Ryan said.
This story has been updated with a statement Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office provided after publication.