NY candidates Ana Maria Archila, Diana Reyna, Antonio Delgado to debate on TV

Three Democratic candidates for lieutenant governor will face off in the only televised debate in what could be the most competitive statewide party primary on June 28. “Kathy Hochul was the lieutenant governor and now is the governor … The next LG could be the next governor. They’re a heartbeat away from that and I think that’s why it’s exciting and really important to watch,” political consultant Camille Rivera said.

The 7 p. m. debate on Spectrum News will feature an hour’s worth of policy questions – and plenty of interparty fighting as activist Ana Maria Archila and former City Councilwoman Diana Reyna take on very recently appointed incumbent Lt.

Gov. Antonio Delgado. Delgado is running alongside Gov.

Kathy Hochul after she made him her No. 2 following the resignation of his disgraced predecessor Brian Benjamin months ago. “He’s a fresh face for Gov.

Hochul’s slate and it allows the ticket to move away from some of the baggage that unfortunately, surrounded the ticket earlier on … I think Antonio Delgado will very much be the frontrunner,” political consultant Jake Dilemani told The Post Wednesday. The newly-named lieutenant governor is relatively unknown in voter-rich New York City, but he has millions more to spend on the race than his rivals and endorsements from powerful groups like 32-BJ SEIU. However, he has also faced criticism in recent weeks on a range of fronts, including campaign support from cryptocurrency interests , supposed coziness with the Trump administration and controversy over his ethnic identity as an Afro-Latino – issues that could come up Wednesday night.

Archila, a Colombian immigrant, has the backing of progressive groups like the Working Families Party after gaining national attention years ago for heckling then-U. S. Sen Jeff Flake in a Capitol Hill elevator for supporting Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court.

Her policy platform includes support for progressive causes such as increased tenant protections, accelerated responses to climate change and buffed up social services to battle gun violence. Party nominees for LG and governor run as a single ticket in the general election, but Archila has vowed, if elected, to be a thorn in the side of whoever wins the top job. “The last thing that Gov.

Hochul wants is to have to deal with a lieutenant governor candidate from another ticket [but] I don’t see that being the case. I think Antonio Delgado will very much be the front runner,” Dilemani said. Reyna, has raised less money and won fewer endorsements than her opponents while running alongside her running mate Rep.

Tom Suozzi (D-Nassau) – but her deep roots in Brooklyn could help her beat expectations given the outsized importance of the borough in Democratic primaries. Reyna, the first elected Dominican woman in New York City history, is competing for the support of moderate voters who might otherwise be a lock for Delgado, who had a relatively centrist record in Congress after winning a historically Republican district in 2018. The winner of the Democratic primaries will face former NYPD Deputy Inspector Alison Esposito, who is running unopposed for the Republican LG nomination , and the winner of the GOP gubernatorial race.

Archila could pull off an upset if the political left mobilizes enough votes, but that depends on how her performance Wednesday night compares to Delgado and Reyna. Her running mate, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, lost a 2018 primary for LG against Hochul by single digits. While Delgado appears to have the edge in this year’s Democratic contest, a viral moment or gaffe could change that with days before early voting begins June 18.

“They have to balance the need to be honest and nuanced with the need to not say things that will be taken out of context,” Dilemani said. “Obviously, stay away from an Elliot Engel hot mic situation,” he added, referring to an infamous gaffe involving the longtime congressman before he lost a race against progressive challenger Jamaal Bowman. .