On Tuesday, Governor Kathy Hochul dealt a great blow to the institutional left’s hopes of winning a statewide office when she picked Antonio Delgado, a Hudson Valley congressman, to be her lieutenant governor. Hochul was willing to imperil the House Democratic majority to make her ticket significantly stronger. It was an Andrew Cuomo–esque maneuver for a politician who promised, last year, to be something very different.

Hochul was able to appoint Delgado and have him appear on the June Democratic primary ballot because the state legislature changed the election law for her. Last month, Brian Benjamin, her former lieutenant governor, was arrested and charged with overseeing a bribery scheme to benefit a prior campaign. Hochul was not implicated but had picked Benjamin last year even after media reports raised the possibility of improprieties.

Ineffectual and corrupt, Benjamin was indicted just after the conclusion of the petitioning process. Under New York election law, the only way to remove him from the ballot was for him to die or move out of the state. The federal indictment limited his travel options. Finding willing partners in the state legislature, Hochul simply had the lawmakers vote to change the rules this week. Benjamin, who had already resigned, was promptly removed.