Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado selects Buffalo socialist as running mate in bid to unseat Hochul

ALBANY – Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado has selected Buffalo socialist India Walton as his running mate for governor, The Post has learned.

Walton, a nurse from Buffalo who nearly unseated New York’s second largest city’s ex-Mayor Byron Brown in 2021, will run as Delgado’s lieutenant governor candidate, a source familiar confirmed to The Post.

Walton won the Democratic primary in her bid to unseat Brown in 2021, but establishment Democrats, including current state Democratic Committee Chair Jay Jacobs, swooped in to support a write-in campaign for Brown.

Brown, an 18-year incumbent, resigned in 2024 — leaving the city millions of dollars in debt for a posh job at Western Regional Off Track Betting.

India Walton won the Democratic primary for Buffalo mayor in 2021, but lost a write-in campaign to longtime incumbent Byron Brown. REUTERS

Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado is mounting a primary campaign against Gov. Kathy Hochul. Hans Pennink

The news of Walton joining the ticket was first reported by The Investigative Post.

The move cements Delgado’s attempt to boost support amongst the progressive wing of the Democratic party as he tries to tap into fury against long-time establishment figures like Hochul.

Walton received the backing of the lefty Working Families Party and Buffalo’s Democratic Socialists of America chapter during her 2021 race.