ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado announced Monday that he will challenge his boss, Gov. Kathy Hochul, in the governor's race next year, months after a feud between the two Democrats erupted into public view.
In a short campaign video, Delgado sought to introduce himself to voters, highlighting his educational background and offering a broad preview of his platform, saying “what we need right here in New York is bold, decisive transformational leadership.”
“Listen, the powerful and well-connected have their champions. I'm running for governor to be yours,” he said.
Delgado has been hinting at a primary challenge against Hochul for months and earlier this year said he would he would not run for reelection alongside the governor, ramping up speculation about his future and leading Hochul's office to sideline him from the duties of his ceremonial post.
For Hochul, who appointed Delgado after her previous lieutenant governor was indicted, the announcement comes as she is expected to face a tough reelection fight next year, with serious opponents lining up.
U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, a Republican who is considering a run against Hochul, released a statement after Delgado's announcement that said, "Let’s FIRE HOCHUL in 2026.”
“Her own Lieutenant Governor that she hand picked is now primarying her which shows she has lost support not just from Republicans and Independents, but Democrat New Yorkers as well,” Stefanik said.
Delgado and Hochul have long been at odds. Discord between the two leaders became apparent last year ahead the presidential election when the lieutenant governor called on former President Joe Biden to drop his reelection bid, while Hochul was one of Biden's biggest supporters and surrogates.
After the election, Delgado wrote an op-ed for The New York Times that argued Democrats are “ready for the next generation,” arguing that the party won't succeed “with the same politicians telling the same old stories.”
In another break with Hochul, Delgado had called for New York City Mayor Eric Adams to resign as the mayor was battling his now-dismissed corruption case, while the governor was much more measured in her approach.
The lieutenant governor's position on Adams led to a spokesperson for the governor releasing a statement that said “Lieutenant Governor Delgado does not now and has not ever spoken on behalf of this administration.”
Delgado previously served in the U.S. House before becoming lieutenant governor.
FILE - New York Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado arrives to listen to Gov. Kathy Hochul present her 2025 executive state budget in the Red Room at the state Capitol, Jan. 16, 2024, in Albany, N.Y. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink, File)
FILE - New York Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado, left, holds his first news conference with Gov. Kathy Hochul after his swearing in ceremony, making him the state's first person of Latino heritage to serve in statewide office, May 25, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File)
PARIS (AP) — France’s far-right leader Marine Le Pen returned to court Tuesday to appeal an embezzlement conviction, with her 2027 presidential ambitions hanging on the outcome of the case.
Le Pen, 57, is seeking to overturn a March ruling that found her guilty of misusing European Parliament funds. She was given a five-year ban from holding elected office, two years of house arrest with an electronic bracelet, a further two-year suspended sentence and a 100,000-euro ($116,800) fine.
Le Pen did not talk at her arrival at the courthouse.
As the trial was starting, she stood up silently in front of the panel of three judges while reasons for the proceedings were being read by the president of the court. The room was packed with a crowd of dozens of reporters and general public.
“I hope I'll be able to convince the judges of my innocence,” Le Pen told reporters Monday. “It’s a new court with new judges. The case will be reset, so to speak.”
The appeals trial is scheduled to last for five weeks, with a verdict expected at a later date.
Le Pen was seen as the potential front-runner to succeed President Emmanuel Macron in the 2027 election until last year's ruling, which sent shock waves through French politics. She denounced it as “a democratic scandal.”
Her National Rally party has been coming out on top in opinion polls, and Le Pen alleged that the judicial system brought out “the nuclear bomb” to prevent her from becoming France’s president.
The appeal trial, involving Le Pen, 10 other defendants and the National Rally party as a legal entity, is scheduled to last for five weeks. A panel of three judges at the appeals court in Paris is expected to announce its verdict at a later date, possibly before summer.
Several scenarios are possible, from acquittal to another conviction that may or may not bar her from running in 2027. She could also face an even tougher punishment if convicted anew — up to 10 years in prison and a 1-million euro ($1.17 million) fine.
In March, Le Pen and other party officials were convicted of using money intended for EU parliamentary assistants who instead had other duties between 2004 and 2016, in violation of EU rules. Some actually did work for the party, known as the National Front at the time, in French domestic politics, the court said.
In handing down the sentence, the judge said Le Pen was at the heart of a “system” set up to siphon off EU parliament funds — including to pay for her bodyguard and her chief of staff.
All suspects denied wrongdoing, and Le Pen argued the money was used in a legitimate way. The judge said Le Pen and the others did not enrich themselves personally.
The legal proceedings initially stemmed from a 2015 alert raised by Martin Schulz, then-president of the European Parliament, to French authorities.
The case and its fallout weigh heavily on Le Pen’s political future after more than a decade spent trying to bring the far right into France’s political mainstream. Since taking over the party from her late father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, in 2011, she has sought to shed its reputation for racism and antisemitism, changing its name, expelling her father in 2015 and softening both the party’s platform and her own public image.
That strategy has paid dividends. The National Rally is now the largest single political group in France’s lower house of parliament and has built a broad network of elected officials across the country.
Le Pen stepped down as party president in 2021 to focus on the presidential race, handing the role to Jordan Bardella, now 30.
If she is ultimately prevented from running in 2027, Bardella is widely expected to be her successor. His popularity has surged, particularly among younger voters, though some within the party have questioned his leadership.
Le Pen's potential conviction would be “deeply worrying for (France's) democracy,” Bardella said Monday in a New Year address.
European Parliament lawyer Patrick Maisonneuve arrives to an appeal court for far-right leader Marine Le Pen's appeal trial for an embezzlement conviction, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026 in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Far-right leader Marine Le Pen arrives for her appeal trial after an embezzlement conviction, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026 in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Far-right party National Rally president Jordan Bardella speaks during his New Year address to the press, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026 in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Far-right leader Marine Le Pen arrives at National Rally president Jordan Bardella's New Year address to the press, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026 in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Far-right leader Marine Le Pen, center, is framed by Louis Aliot, left, and conservative lawmaker Eric Ciotti during National Rally president Jordan Bardella's New Year address to the press, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026 in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
