Time for seconds: Hochul waits to tap Delgado at just the right moment to combine elections, but continues to insist on splitting N.Y. primaries

Today’s resignation from Congress by Antonio Delgado and his simultaneous appointment as New York State’s 65th lieutenant governor — replacing the 64th (Brian Benjamin), who was shortlived on account of an arrest by the FBI, who, in turn, replaced the much longer-tenured 63rd (Kathy Hochul) — could’ve happened three weeks ago, when Gov. Hochul said she wanted Delgado as her new No. 2.

Nevertheless, we praise Hochul for the delay, because if the governor had elevated Delgado when she wanted to, on May 3, she would’ve had to have ordered a wasteful special election for his House seat between July 12 through Aug. 1. That’s because of a stupid, inflexible law that the Legislature passed last August as Andrew Cuomo was on his last legs. It mandates that the governor must set special elections for vacancies in the Legislature and Congress on a tight, unforgiving schedule always between 70 and 90 days after a vacancy.

Given the constraints of that law and knowing that all the congressional primaries are being held on Aug. 23 — moved from June, due to the illegal and unconstitutional redistricting scheme of the Legislature that she signed — Hochul wisely waited until today to formally install Delgado. That lets her schedule the special election to fill his congressional seat on the same day as the existing primary, saving time and money and voter patience.

Unfortunately, the good-government move also exposes a huge hypocrisy — because Hochul is simultaneously intent on wasting time, money and voter patience by insisting on separate June primaries for her own office and possibly the Assembly, while congressional and state Senate contests will be held in August.

Another problem is that Delgado takes the second-highest office in the state without a second look by anyone else. The state Constitution should be amended to make an appointed LG subject to an approval vote of both houses of the Legislature.