Democratic Buffalo mayoral primary candidate India Walton delivers her victory speech after defeating incumbent Byron Brown, on Tuesday, June 22, 2021 in Buffalo, N.Y. Brown, running as a write-in-candidate, later defeated Walton in the general election. (Robert Kirkham/Buffalo News)
It was during that heated campaign battle that her past troubles, including a 2014 arrest, where she was charged with 2nd degree harassment, grabbed attention. Walton said at the time that the charge was due to a disagreement with a fellow student at a children's hospital.
"When I politely told them I’d like to speak with them personally and handle the situation like adults, one claimed that they were threatened by me and feared for their life, despite the fact that I am 4’11’’ and was going on disability for surgery," Walton told WIVB-TV.
The case was later dismissed in court.
A year later, Walton was ticketed for aggravated unlicensed operation following a traffic stop.
And Walton had two earlier legal controversies: the Erie County Department of Social Services brought a fraud case against her over food stamp assistance in 2003, and a year later, Walton and her then-husband appeared on a tax warrant issued by state officials, over unpaid back taxes. Documents show it took them five years to pay off the penalties and interest owed.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Delgado campaign for comment, but did not receive a response at the time this story posted.
TRUMP TAKES SIDES IN NEW YORK'S RACE FOR GOVERNOR
Delgado launched his bid for governor last June, in the rare instance of a lieutenant governor taking on a sitting governor.
His move to name Walton as his running mate will likely be overshadowed later this week if New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, endorses Hochul.
The governor backed Mamdani, the Democratic nominee, last September as he battled former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa in the mayoral race in the nation's most populous city.
Politico reports that Mamdani will return the favor and endorse Hochul later this week.
Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York is running for re-election in 2026. (Julia Nikhinson/AP Photo)
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman is the all-but-certain GOP gubernatorial nominee.
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President Donald Trump endorsed Blakeman in December, after Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik dropped her bid for governor.
Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the campaign trail from coast to coast."
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/hochul-primary-challenger-picks-democratic-socialist-once-arrested-harassment-running-mate