SYRACUSE – New York Democrats fell in line behind Kathy Hochul, who officially received the party’s nod at the party’s convention in Syracuse Friday — as the governor signaled she would make November’s election all about President Trump.
Hochul easily captured 85% of the convention’s vote over her estranged Lieutenant Governor, Antonio Delgado, despite a last-minute revolt by Brooklyn Dems after she announced former New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams as her running mate.
“Donald Trump’s Republican Party is a personality cult where truth is subjective, truth is crushed, and the American people have become the enemy,” Hochul said, bashing Trump at every turn in her speech following the vote.
Kathy Hochul officially received the party’s endorsement at the Democratic convention in Syracuse on Friday. Robert Miller for NY Post“In my lifetime, the pillars of our very Democracy, truth, the rule of law, is under attack, not by a foreign power, but by our own president,” she added.
“In the last year, and most recently in Minneapolis, we’ve seen what happens when unfettered power is exercised and boundaries are completely ignored.”
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani made his blockbuster endorsement of Hochul on Thursday, followed by all 19 House Democratic lawmakers from the Empire State, including Democratic socialist superstar Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).
“As the Trump administration and MAGA Republicans sow chaos, division and dysfunction in Washington, Governor Hochul is unifying our party and leading the fight to protect New Yorkers and deliver real progress,” read a statement from the House members published by the New York Times.
“That’s why we’re proud to stand behind her re-election campaign, and why we’re committed to working alongside her to take back the House in 2026.”
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, Hochul’s likely GOP foe, used the far-left endorsements to attack the incumbent.
“The extreme party of Zohran Mamdani and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has officially chosen Kathy Hochul as their candidate to advance a high-tax, anti-police agenda,” he said.
“New Yorkers should brace for even higher taxes, soaring electric bills, and weaker public safety. Families can’t afford four more years of this — which is why I’m running for Governor to restore affordability and common sense,” he added.
After un-endorsing Hochul on Wednesday, Brooklyn Democratic Committee Chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn announced hours before the convention that the party was re-endorsing Hochul.
“Did you see the Brooklyn statement? It’s over,” Hochul told The Post, who bumped into her at the Syracuse Marriott as she ate breakfast with her family Friday morning.
Delgado received just under 15% of the convention vote, meaning he will have to petition his way onto the primary ballot.
He confirmed to reporters Friday that he will continue to mount a long-shot primary campaign against Hochul from the left.
“The millions of people that are out there in New York, they are and still remain hungry for change,” Delgado said.
Hochul easily captured 85% of the convention’s vote over her estranged Lieutenant Governor, Antonio Delgado. Paul MartinkaLetitia James was also anointed as the party’s designated nominee for attorney general with no primary challengers appearing at the convention.
State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli easily fended off long-shot candidate Drew Warshaw’s challenge at the convention, winning with 90% of the vote to become the party’s designated nominee.
Warshaw actually showed up to the convention, unlike fellow comptroller challengers Raj Goyle and Adem Bunkeddeko, who opted to skip the affair. All of them can still petition their way onto the June primary ballot.
During the voting process, a large screen in the convention hall misspelled both DiNapoli’s and Warshaw’s names.
The gaffe was unsurprising amid a major party event that left many attendees underwhelmed, especially given that the party currently has $12 million in its campaign account.
The Oncenter Civic Center Theater was extremely cramped for the high-profile event, no larger than a high school auditorium. Attendees with mobility issues were seen struggling to get up and down the aisles during the marathon, hours-long event.
Wi-Fi access was also virtually non-existent and there were issues with remote delegates casting votes. The party’s executive director had to stand just off stage, holding what appeared to be an antenna, in order to get most of them to vote.
During Rep. Adriano Espaillat’s address to formally nominate Hochul, the whole theater went dark in what appeared to be a brief power outage.
After one roaring applause line during Hochul’s speech at the end of the convention, attendees were spotted beginning to clear out.
Several attendees told The Post they accidentally walked into an unrelated conference at an adjoining, and much larger, theater next door.







