Governor Kathy Hochul on Wednesday named former New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams as her running mate in the 2026 gubernatorial election, selecting her to run for lieutenant governor as she seeks a second full term, officials and news outlets reported.
Adams, a Democrat from Southeast Queens who served as speaker of the City Council from 2022 until term limits ended her tenure in 2025, will join Hochul on the Democratic ticket ahead of the state nominating convention and primary elections. If successful in November, the ticket will mark the first all-female major party statewide ticket in New York and Adams would become the first Black woman elected to the lieutenant governor’s post.
Hochul said in a social media post that she chose Adams as “a fighter” who knows how to “deliver for New York,” noting their shared working-class backgrounds and commitments to public safety and affordability. “I picked a New Yorker from Southeast Queens. Someone who grew up in a union household, just like I did,” Hochul wrote.
In her own statement, Adams said she was “honored to stand side by side with Gov. Kathy Hochul in her fight for a safe, affordable, and resilient New York.” She highlighted her record as City Council speaker, where she focused on issues such as affordable housing, child care and lowering costs for New Yorkers.
The selection comes amid political shifts within the Democratic field. Incumbent Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado is challenging Hochul in the Democratic primary and has named India Walton as his own running mate. The change in running mates follows a recent state law requiring candidates to have an official partner for both primary and general elections.
Adams was first elected to the City Council in 2017 representing District 28 in Queens. She became the council’s first Black speaker in 2022 and led a body that at times pushed progressive legislation, even as she described herself as a moderate Democrat.
She also ran in the crowded 2025 New York City mayoral Democratic primary, finishing fourth, and has broad experience in city politics, advocacy and coalition building.
Political analysts say the pick is intended to help Hochul broaden her appeal in downstate Democratic strongholds and among Black voters, even as she faces competition from Delgado and Republican nominee Bruce Blakeman in the November general election.
Adams’ selection will be formally presented at the upcoming Democratic convention in Syracuse, where delegates will begin shaping the party’s 2026 nomination.
