As New York Democrats head into convention season, Governor Kathy Hochul is entering with the wind at her back — a historic all-woman ticket featuring former New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams as her running mate, an endorsement from New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and her strongest favorability numbers yet in a new Siena College poll. But the path isn’t without friction: Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado is fighting to clear the 25% threshold needed for automatic ballot access, the Brooklyn Democratic Party briefly yanked its endorsement before reversing course, and a Department of Homeland Security funding fight looms in Washington. On this episode of From the Lobby, host Joanna Pasceri sits down with Jack O’Donnell, Managing Director of O’Donnell & Associates, to unpack the maneuvering ahead of the New York State Democratic Convention and what it signals for the 2026 election year.
Joanna Pasceri
It’s been a busy, headline-filled week in New York politics, including the major announcement from Governor Hochul on her new running mate. A last-minute decision, a little party drama and a lot of maneuvering as we head straight into convention season and a big election year. Jack, great to have you back with us from the lobby.
Jack O’Donnell
Great to be with you, Joanna. It might be cold outside, but it’s getting hot in politics, huh?
Joanna Pasceri
The New York State Democratic Convention is here. Obviously, Governor Hochul will be the nominee, but the question now is how much support will her Democratic opponent, Antonio Delgado, receive? Enough to get on the June primary ballot?
Jack O’Donnell
That’s the million dollar question — or more, because that’s what it costs to petition. Lieutenant Governor Delgado, I know, has been telling people that he’s, quote, “hovering around that 25% threshold,” which is what you need to get automatic ballot status. I think it’s going to be close. If I had to say today, I don’t think he has it. We’ve seen a real show of force from Governor Hochul this week. Mayor Mamdani, the congressional delegation, oodles of labor support. She’s really putting the full court press on here to keep Delgado off the ballot.
Joanna Pasceri
Just a few days ago, Hochul named her new running mate, former New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, creating the first all-woman gubernatorial ticket in the state’s history. What was your reaction to that? Smart pick?
Jack O’Donnell
It makes sense, right? I don’t know that anyone jumped out of their chairs or made up handmade signs because they’re so excited. But I do think Adrienne Adams makes a lot of sense for Kathy Hochul. First, we heard from the governor that she’s just really comfortable with Adrienne Adams as someone who can help govern or who could step in if something happened — which is obviously the number one job of the LG. But I think she also really comes from the same space in the Democratic Party where Kathy Hochul is — a moderate, pro public safety, but also socially liberal Democrat. From Queens. Similar backgrounds. In some ways it might not be an inspiring pick, but I think it’s a smart safety pick.
Joanna Pasceri
Not long after that announcement, the Brooklyn Democratic Party pulled its endorsement of the governor. It has since reversed course and is supporting her again. What is behind this flip-flop?
Jack O’Donnell
Oh, goodness. What a mess this was. The Brooklyn Democrats are known for their infighting. There are a lot of elected officials from the borough who are not close to county. A lot of folks really think this stems back to some City Council speaker’s races where there was a Brooklyn candidate and a Queens candidate, and some of that bad blood that came out of that between eventual Speaker Adrienne Adams and the Brooklyn Democratic leader and Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte. I think at the end of the day, this is an asterisk. They came back. It’s not like they endorsed someone else. So I think the big story is going to be Hochul’s coronation at the convention this week.
Joanna Pasceri
Meantime, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani released an op-ed explaining why he is endorsing Governor Hochul. Who benefits most from this endorsement, Hochul or Mamdani?
Jack O’Donnell
Well, I think Hochul right now. Number one, she’s in cycle here and needs that support. And frankly, Antonio Delgado and his pick for Lieutenant Governor, India Walton, are really trying to grab that momentum from the Democratic left, from the progressive wing of the party — the exact same folks who propelled Mamdani to victory. So having Mamdani in her camp, having AOC in her camp, all of these things for a moderate from upstate who has intentionally governed as a moderate — those are big deals and really helpful on the campaign trail.
Joanna Pasceri
Heading into the convention and the election year, the governor seems to be in a good position. A new Siena College poll shows her with her best favorability numbers yet and a sizable lead over her challengers. Why do you think she’s resonating so well with voters?
Jack O’Donnell
I think some of it is a matter of time. She has been a little better known and really seems to be growing into the job even more. She seems a lot more comfortable at it. And I think voters can tell when you’re comfortable and when you like what you’re doing. But I also think some of this is the Trump effect — that right now, the president and Republicans broadly across the board, their poll numbers have dropped. People are very unhappy with what’s happening in Washington, very unhappy with some of the stuff that President Trump has been focused on. And as a result, the people who are not Trump look a lot better. We saw some similar reactions during the first Trump administration — as he was down, Andrew Cuomo went up and other Democratic governors. So I think that’s also a major factor in these numbers. But let’s not take anything away from the governor. She’s got her best numbers right now going into reelection. That’s a great place to be.
Joanna Pasceri
So let’s turn to Washington. Most of the government has been funded through September except for the Department of Homeland Security. That budget held up over concerns about the deaths at the hands of ICE agents. Congress has a week to figure this one out. What do you think happens?
Jack O’Donnell
I think the can gets kicked down the road. I don’t know that they’re going to be able to come to a deal in the short term. Just where Democrats are about homeland security, about immigration and customs enforcement, is just so far from where President Trump is and Republicans in Congress are on ICE. Even though we saw that the president and his border czar sort of walking back some of what they’re doing in Minnesota — we saw some agents pull out — we’re already seeing a reaction on the right to that, folks saying you can’t give in now, don’t do those things. So I think this is going to be really hard to actually get a deal. But I think there is a broader agreement about keeping government running, and so I wouldn’t be surprised to see this one punted again.
Joanna Pasceri
What can we look forward to in the next Monday Morning Memo?
Jack O’Donnell
We’ll be diving into what happened at the Democratic Convention. It is also the Working Families Party convention this weekend. That’s a big deal especially for Antonio Delgado trying to earn that support, Hochul and her allies pushing back on that. We’ll be talking about that. We’ll be covering a little from what happened in some of the state budget hearings this week — these are day-long dives into different areas of the governor’s proposal. One of them even got a little heated, a little exciting. So we’ll be talking about that and these LG picks on Monday.
Joanna Pasceri
All right, we’ll look forward to it. With conventions ahead, elections heating up and policy battles brewing from Albany to Washington, there’s no shortage of storylines to watch. For deeper insight, don’t miss Jack’s Monday Morning Memo — a clear, no-paywall look at the political and policy issues that could affect you or your business. And don’t forget to check out our 2026 legislative preview and Executive Budget Overview, both available now on our website at odonnellsolutions.com. Thanks for listening, everyone. We’ll be back soon from the lobby with Jack O’Donnell.
