As New York state lawmakers are set to shelve a bill that would potentially remove former Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin from the June 28 primary ballot, state Democratic Party Chairman Jay Jacobs called the proposal a good policy move given the corruption charges Benjamin is facing. 

Party officials and Hochul have been mulling how to replace Benjamin on the primary ballot in the coming weeks, but face constraints due to the state's narrow election laws. 

State Assemblywoman Amy Paulin earlier this month proposed a bill that would remove a candidate for office from the ballot due to criminal charges or an illness. Jacobs in a Capital Tonight interview on Friday said he did not want to weigh in on whether the bill should be considered by the Legislature in the final weeks of the legislative session. 

"That said, it seems to me the bill, Amy Paulin's bill, looks to me as good policy," Jacobs said. "I don't know why you would want to keep someone on the ballot who is under a federal indictment, who has had to resign from their office." 

"What good public policy is there for someone to stay on the ballot if they want to be removed from the ballot?" he added. 

At the same time, Jacobs remained hopeful a replacement candidate could be found weeks ahead of when voting begins. 

"We have to stay tuned. We're not completely done yet," he said. "We're working on a variety of options, hopefully we'll be able to get Brian Benjamin's name off the ballot, and if not, we're going to come up with a good answer to that question so voters know exactly what we'd like them to do." 

Jacobs has been a prominent supporter of Gov. Kathy Hochul's bid for a full term, endorsing her last year soon after she was elevated to the office and has formed a new ballot line to help her this fall.

But the Fair Deal ballot line won't play a spoiler role if Hochul loses the Democratic Party this June, Jacobs said. 

The ballot line is being formed to ensure Hochul has a second line to run on this November as Democrats remain unsure whether the progressive Working Families Party will endorse the Democratic nominee. 

New York election law allows for fusion voting in which individual candidates can run on multiple ballot lines. The Republican nominee is likely to have the Conservative Party ballot line this fall. 

"What we want as our objective is a second line for the governor, guaranteed," Jacobs said. 

But the party would not move forward with a candidate who is at odds with the Democratic nominee. Hochul is expected to face Rep. Tom Suozzi and New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams in the June 28 primary vote. 

"What we're about is not being spoilers," he said. "I don't envision that happening. The governor is far ahead in the polls, she's by the far the best candidate running, but I don't think any candidate should be a spoiler and this ballot is not designed for that purpose."