As state budget negotiations drag a week past the deadline in Albany, Gov. Kathy Hochul threw a dark horse issue into the talks with a proposal to change election procedures so candidates for governor and lieutenant governor run together in the primary rather than separately, Spectrum News 1 confirmed Monday.

First reported by Politico, it’s a change that would benefit Hochul as she has grappled with challenges with multiple lieutenant governors. Her first pick was indicted on corruption charges just two months before a primary election that would decide her running mate and she was able to strongarm the Legislature to quickly change state law to allow candidates to be dropped from the ballot in such circumstances. The charges were later dropped.

Her second, current Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado, split with her on multiple issues and recently announced he wouldn’t run again in 2026 alongside her. Hochul has not minced words about their division, saying in February “it is clear to me that he’s not happy being in the role of lieutenant governor.” The situation has fueled speculation Delgado may challenge Hochul for the top job.

Delgado’s exit from the ticket means an "open" contest for lieutenant governor next year. In New York, lieutenant governors run separately in primary elections before joining with their running mates on the ballot in the general election, a practice shared by Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Wisconsin and New Mexico. 

Gubernatorial candidates often have their preferred running mates and they usually win their individual primary, but it can cloud and complicate the electoral process. It also leaves open the possibility that two non-like-minded candidates could be forced to run on the same ticket in a general election.

Hochul came relatively close once to being a victim of the current system. In the 2018 primaries, her boss, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, easily routed challenger Cynthia Nixon while then-Lt. Gov. Hochul beat challenger Jumaane Williams by a mere seven points.

Such a scenario could be consequential, since had Williams unseated Hochul in 2018, he would’ve become governor when Cuomo resigned in 2021.

With the budget past deadline, and no previous public discussion of this change, it’s unclear how it will impact state budget talks. 

A spokesperson for Hochul's office did not respond to a request for comment.