Over the last several weeks, the election campaign of Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado has blanketed the TV and radio airwaves in the New York City area and bombarded the mailboxes of voters with the goal of winning the party's nomination. 

But what if he doesn't?

The ramifications are high for Gov. Kathy Hochul, who selected Delgado to replace former Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin earlier this spring following his arrest on bribery and fraud charges. Benjamin has pleaded not guilty. 

A Delgado loss in the June 28 primary would mean a victory for the running mates of one of Hochul's rivals, either activist Ana Maria Archila, who is running with New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, or former Councilwoman Diana Reyna, the running mate of Rep. Tom Suozzi. 

Candidates for governor and lieutenant governor run separately in party primaries in New York and are joined on a formal ticket for the general election.  

Hochul is not considering the notion of a Delgado loss that could pair her with another candidate who may be at odds with her agenda. 

"I don't engage in hypotheticals," Hochul said earlier on Monday. "Antonio Delgado will be the next lieutenant governor of the state of New York."

Delgado, a former congressman from the Hudson Valley, has so far served as an on-message figure for the Hochul administration in the month he's been lieutenant governor. 

Archila has pledged to decidedly not be a typical No. 2 in Albany, and has indicated she would take a more activist role. Mismatched governors and lieutenant governors can occur: Al Del Bello was miserable for a single term under Mario Cuomo. 

But modern politics can make it easier for a lieutenant governor without funding or staff to get their names out in the public anyway.