Leaving the Beltway to return closer to the Big Apple, Antonio Delgado is prepared and ready to fill in as lieutenant governor and campaign for election in a primary that is barely a month away.

“What I’m focusing on, as I did when I first was elected in Congress, is connecting with folks on the ground, all across the state, building relationships, listening to the needs of the community,” he told reporters in New York City after taking his oath of office on Wednesday afternoon. “And I think as I spoke to in my remarks, I have no problem working very hard to do that day and night, and I intend to do that.”

Delgado was officially sworn in as New York’s 65th lieutenant governor. He resigned his seat to become Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul’s replacement for Brian Benjamin in Albany. He resigned last month after federal prosecutors indicted him on bribery charges tied to previous political campaigns.

The governor announced Delgado’s appointment earlier in May after the state Legislature passed a law allowing Benjamin to come off the primary ballot. Delgado has since replaced him on the ballot for the Democratic primary June 28.

Ana Maria Archila and Diana Reyna are also running for the party’s nomination in that race.

The former Colgate University basketball player, Rhodes Scholar, Harvard Law School graduate, rapper and lawyer began his stint in Congress in 2019. Despite representing just a portion of the state, he said he has no concerns about running a statewide campaign, even though the primary is about a month away.

Hochul said she would schedule the special election for Aug. 23 to fill the remainder of the congressional term Delgado leaves behind. That will coincide with the primary election for congressional and state Senate seats.

Delgado isn’t the only New York congressman who has stepped down recently. Republican Rep. Tom Reed announced his resignation on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this month.

Hochul has yet to set a date for a special election because she said Reed has yet to formally submit his resignation to the New York Secretary of State. While that might seem like a minor issue, Hochul said it’s necessary before an election can be scheduled. She’d like to have that special election on Aug. 23 as well.

“Tom Reed has a little work to do,” she said. “We have been trying tirelessly to reach him to no avail .actually, the Republican Party has been trying to reach him to get (a special election) accomplished legally so it’ll stand up in court.”

Jessica Proud, a spokeswoman for the New York Republican Party, told The Center Square on Wednesday night it was her understanding Reed has submitted that letter.

This article was originally posted on From Beltway back closer to the Big Apple, Delgado embraces fill-in role, upcoming campaign