Kathy Hochul to become first female governor of New York after Andrew Cuomo resigns

Andrew Cuomo, Kathy Hochul
Andrew Cuomo with Kathy Hochul in this file photo from 2015
AP
Sarah Harvey11 August 2021

Kathy Hochul will in two weeks become New York’s first female governor after Andrew Cuomo announced he would resign from office.

Cuomo, 63, announced Tuesday that he would step down rather than face a likely impeachment trial over allegations he sexually harassed at least 11 women, including one who accused him of groping her breast.

He has continued to deny that he touched anyone inappropriately, and said his instinct was to fight back against claims he felt were unfair or fabricated. But he said that with the state still in a pandemic crisis, it was best for him to step aside so the state’s leaders could “get back to governing.”

He will see out a two-week transition period to ease Hochul, 62, into a job that he dominated over his three terms in office.

She stayed out of public sight Tuesday but said in a statement that she was "prepared to lead." Hochul planned to hold her first news conference on Wednesday afternoon at the State Capitol, in the very room where Cuomo became a familiar face to people across the US for his televised briefings on New York's fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

That job will fall to Hochul, who served briefly in Congress representing a Buffalo-area district, but purposely kept a modest profile as lieutenant governor in a state where Cuomo commanded - and demanded - the spotlight.

A seasoned veteran of retail politics, Hochul shares some of Cuomo's centrist politics, but is a stylistic contrast with a governor famous for his love of steamrolling opponents and holding grudges, state political veterans say. She's well-liked by colleagues, who say voters shouldn't confuse her quiet approach under Cuomo with a lack of confidence or competence.

"Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul will be an extraordinary governor," Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, another upstate political veteran, told reporters at the US Capitol on Tuesday. "She understands the complexities and needs of our state, having been both a congresswoman and having been lieutenant governor for the last several years."

It remains to be seen how involved Cuomo will be in state government over the next two weeks, or how he'll manage handing over authority - something he rarely ceded during his time in office.

~ via AP

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