Student members of the Colgate College Democrats took a trip to New York City for a Youth Town Hall meeting with current Lieutenant Governor of New York and Colgate alumnus Antonio Delgado on Tuesday, Nov. 25. 

The Colgate College Democrats were joined by Democrat student groups from other schools in New York, including Cornell University, Hamilton College, St. Lawrence University, Stony Brook University and Syracuse University. They discussed Delgado’s vision for the future of New York with Delgado himself, as well as the issues relevant to attendees of the town hall.

Delgado shared his enthusiasm about the success of the town hall in a Dec. 3 message on Facebook: “Young people are not only the future — but also the present. The youth town hall made one thing clear: they’re informed, energized and ready to lead this state forward.”

Delgado is currently serving his first term as Lieutenant Governor after being appointed by Governor Kathy Hochul in May 2022. His term will conclude in 2026, but he indicated that his ambition to serve the state of New York in the government will not end there. In June 2025, he officially launched his campaign seeking to run against incumbent Hochul for Governor of New York. 

The decision to challenge his appointer made national headlines, with many questioning his loyalty to the current Hochul administration. Among the groups of New Yorkers who have voiced support for Delgado are the New York Working Families Party, Citizen Action of New York, New York Communities for Change and now students from Colgate.

Junior Tess Mendelsohn, the president of Colgate College Democrats, attended the November town hall with Delgado. She said that she feels the town hall offered Colgate College Democrats a good chance to get to know Delgado and voice their support. 

“It was a great experience meeting Lieutenant Governor Delgado,” Mendelsohn said. “He was very charismatic and especially excited to connect with students from his alma mater.”

Delgado graduated from Colgate in 1999 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree as a Rhodes Scholar and a former member of the Colgate men’s basketball team. As a student on campus, Delgado led student organizations centered around issues of race, gender and economic inequality as a deeply invested member of the Dream Team organization for racial harmony on campus, the Skin Deep organization on racial issues and Colgate’s Society of Leaders. 

Leah Reichman found the action-packed trip very rewarding.

“I really enjoyed our recent trip to NYC. We started the night at Joe’s Pizza, where Delgado talked to us about his time at Colgate, where he started his own music group with his friends and played basketball,” Reichman said. “We then went to the youth town hall where Delgado spent two hours discussing topics like affordable housing, ice raids and his childhood, growing up as a low-class person in Schenectady. He emphasized the fact that, unlike Hochul, he is not taking any money from the establishment. I learned a lot from the town hall, and I think Delgado would make a great governor.”

Delgado has said he plans to campaign for similar causes as governor. 

For Reichman, Mendelsohn and other members of the Colgate College Democrats, Delgado’s interest in progressive issues at Colgate and elsewhere signals an alignment of values and an opportunity to shape the future of American politics. 

“I think the most important reason [to endorse Delgado] is because he is the candidate who has given us the greatest hope for progress and change in New York,” Mendelsohn said. “Our executive board aligns with many of his progressive values and believes that he will help usher in a new era of the Democratic Party.”