Delgado to SLU: New York Lieutenant Governor Talks to Students

On Wednesday morning, New York State Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado visited St. Lawrence University for a conversation with students and faculty. SLU Democrats hosted the event in the Winston Room in the Sullivan Student Center. 

Delgado has served as NY Lieutenant Governor since 2022. He was appointed by Gov. Kathy Hochul after former Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin resigned following federal indictment charges of bribery, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and falsification of records. Later that year, Delgado ran alongside Hochul in the state gubernatorial election, in which they beat the Republican nominees, Lee Zeldin and Alison Esposito, with 53.2 percent of the vote. 

Stephen Austin ’28, president of SLU Democrats, said that Delgado’s campaign team reached out to the organization, “as they wanted to discuss what college students were looking for in the current political landscape.” Austin said that Delgado and the students had a good discussion regarding economic concerns in the state. “The part of the conversation that struck the biggest chord with me was Delgado’s concerns about the erosion of democracy in this country,” Austin said. “It hits different when the second most powerful person in our state currently is talking about the possibility of ‘suspension of elections.’” 

Austin said that an event like this is a great opportunity for students to discuss their issues face-to-face with their representatives. “How often do you get to stand face to face with your elected representatives and ask them ‘why they did this?’ or ‘what will they do about that?’” Austin said. “Even if you don’t care as much about doing that, it’s just a great way to make connections. You never know what random person you meet could help you after you graduate.” 

Before his time as Lieutenant Governor, he served as U.S. House Representative for the 19th congressional district of New York. He grew up in Schenectady, NY, and received his undergraduate degree from Colgate University in Hamilton, NY. 

Alex Ferguson ’26, treasurer of SLU Democrats, said that Delgado’s relatability and interesting background were the most endearing parts of the conversation. “Overall, I was impressed with how easily he was able to sit down with us and talk personally about things. He joked with us about how Colgate (his alma mater) has better sports teams than us, and it felt genuine,” he said. 

Delgado has been very outspoken about his fellow Democratic politicians. He called for President Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential election and called for New York City Mayor Eric Adams to resign. In June 2025, Delgado announced his campaign for the Democratic nomination for New York Governor, running against Hochul. 

Ferguson said that Delgado was very outspoken about his qualms with his fellow representatives. “He made clear to us how he has clashed with Hochul but has limited power to exert his own policy under her leadership,” Ferguson said. “He emphasized how Hochul and other Democrats have sold out to corporations and billionaires and how he, by contrast, does not take corporate PAC funds and plans to rely on small donations and public matching funds to win the race.” 

Austin believes that the opportunity to converse with Delgado falls in line with the goals of SLU Democrats to represent and fight for what’s best for SLU students. “We believe that candidates like Delgado are actually trying to change the status quo and really want to represent our interests,” he said. 

Delgado will be on the New York ballot for governor in 2026.