Albany, New York - New York Governor Kathy Hochul has announced former New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams as her running mate in her 2026 reelection campaign.

"Exciting announcement: I have a running mate. I picked a New Yorker from Southeast Queens. Someone who grew up in a union household, just like I did. A fighter who knows how to deliver for New York," Hochul posted on X on Wednesday.

"Welcome to the team my friend – and our next Lieutenant Governor – Adrienne E. Adams."

Adams served as speaker of the New York City Council from 2022 to 2025. She ran for mayor last year but failed to secure the nomination, won instead by Zohran Mamdani.

"I'm honored to join Governor Kathy Hochul's ticket. And I'm ready to go win this election – so that we can lower costs, keep New Yorkers safe, and put money back in New Yorkers' pockets," Adams wrote on X.

The announcement came as New York's current Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado is challenging Hochul from the left in 2026, with former Buffalo Democratic mayoral nominee India Walton as his running mate.

"India is a proven fighter for the working class. A mother from Buffalo and committed activist, India energized new, often overlooked voters in her historic run for mayor," Delgado said along with an announcement video. "I am honored to call her my partner in this fight, and thrilled she has agreed to join me as we take on a broken system – enabled by establishment politicians – that serves the few at the expense of the many."

The Democratic gubernatorial primary is set for June 23, 2026.

Four sources told Politico that New York City Mayor Mamdani is due to endorse Hochul's reelection campaign this week.

Hochul backed Mamdani's mayoral bid last September – nearly three months after his stunning Democratic primary win.

Nevertheless, the two have continued to have high-profile policy differences, particularly when it comes to taxing the rich.

During his mayoral campaign, Mamdani proposed introducing a 2% higher tax on those New Yorkers who make more than $1 million annually as well as raising the state's top corporate tax rate to 11.5%. Hochul repeatedly insisted she would not back the hikes.

Last month, the governor unveiled her executive budget proposal for the 2027 fiscal year, which included no tax increases.

Delgado and Walton support greater taxes on the wealthy in order to advance a policy agenda that calls for expanding rent stabilization, building a single-payer health care system, guaranteeing universal child care and fully funded Pre-K, and ending local law enforcement cooperation with ICE.

A coalition of groups – including NYC-DSA, the New York Working Families Party, Citizen Action of New York, and more – are planning a march and rally in Albany on February 25 to demand Hochul tax the rich.