New York Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado said on Monday he would not run for reelection with Gov. Kathy Hochul in 2026 but said he would explore other options to represent New York in state government.

“I have made the decision to not run for reelection with the Governor in 2026,” Delgado said in a statement. “I remain deeply committed to finishing my full term, as I was independently elected to do, by the people of New York.”

“I am determined to be your voice in state government now and in the future. All options are on the table, and I will be exploring them,” he added.

Candidates run independently for governor and lieutenant governor in the primaries, but their names appear together on the general election ballots, as Hochul’s and Delgado’s did in 2022.

Delgado has publicly broken with Hochul on a number of issues throughout their tenure, including most recently when he called for New York City Mayor Eric Adams’s resignation.

Delgado, in his statement, said he decided to run for office nearly a decade ago “because I believed we needed more leaders in government willing to hold themselves accountable to the people – and only the people.”

“I believe New Yorkers deserve this kind of leadership now more than ever,” he added.

The governor’s communications director, Anthony Hogrebe, quickly issued a statement responding to Delgado’s announcement Monday.

“Today, Antonio Delgado finally said out loud what has been obvious for quite some time: he is simply not interested in doing the job of the Lieutenant Governor of the State of New York,” Hogrebe wrote in a statement.

“Governor Hochul had already begun taking steps to identify a new running mate for 2026,” Hogrebe continued. “We will also be reallocating responsibilities within the administration to ensure that important initiatives that had been within the Lieutenant Governor’s office are no longer neglected.”

“Governor Hochul wishes him the best in his future endeavors,” Hogrebe added.