New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced Tuesday, May 3, that she hired Congressman Antonio Delgado as her lieutenant governor.

Delgado, who has represented New York’s 19th Congressional District since 2019, will replace former Lieutenant Governor Brian Benjamin, whose resignation last month came after he was indicted and arrested on charges related to bribery, conspiracy, and another alleged conspiracy thar would’ve occurred while he was a state senator. He has pleaded not guilty and is on bail, according to court documents. Benjamin was appointed to the post by Hochul after she took over from Andrew Cuomo, also following his resignation last year over allegations of sexual harassment and his handling of Covid-19 deaths in state nursing homes.

Delgado, a Democrat, represents New York's 19th congressional district, which includes Hudson Valley and the Catskills. He is Afro-Latino and stands out for being the first black to represent upstate New York in Congress and is a member of Black and Hispanic Congressional Caucuses. “Latinos make up about one-fifth of the population, but they have yet to be elected to state offices in New York or to municipal offices in New York City,” according to NBC New York.

Governor Kathy Hochul stated: “I am proud to appoint Antonio Delgado, an outstanding leader and public servant, as Lieutenant Governor of New York, and I look forward to working with him to usher in a new era of fairness, equity, and prosperity for communities across the State. […] With Antonio Delgado by my side serving as Lieutenant Governor, we will both make history - and make a difference”.

“Delgado was first elected to Congress in 2018. He serves as the Chairman of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Commodity Exchanges, Energy, and Credit, and holds membership on the House Small Business and Transportation and Infrastructure Committees. An upstate native, Delgado grew up in Schenectady and lives in Rhinebeck with his wife, Lacey, and their 8-year-old twin sons, Maxwell and Coltrane. […] He attended Colgate University and earned a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford. Then, he received a law degree from Harvard Law School, according to NBC.

Also according to the publication, the governor's office informed that “Delgado has fought to provide relief for family farms, help small businesses rebuild and thrive, create clean energy jobs, increase access to broadband and support veterans […]. He has had 18 bills signed into law by presidents of both parties and passed critical reforms, including the Strengthening Financial Aid for Students Act, and the Improving Benefits for Underserved Veterans Act, Direct Support for Communities Act and the Small Business Relief Accessibility Act”.