Kathy Hochul Sworn In As First Female Governor Of New York State
Former lieutenant governor Hochul, 62, who replaces Andrew Cuomo, says she wants people to believe in our government again
Kathy Hochul, the first woman to become governor of New York state, will make her debut speech from the executive mansion in Albany on Tuesday, after she was sworn into the post in a private ceremony in the early hours.
At the stroke of midnight, Hochul, 62, was propelled from relative obscurity as lieutenant governor to one of the most powerful and prominent leadership positions within the Democratic party, as New Yorks 57th governor.
After a ceremonial swearing-in on Tuesday morning, Hochul made brief remarks. Asked what her greatest ambition was, she said it was to revive faith in government.
I want people to believe in our government again. Its important to me that people have faith our strength comes from the faith and the confidence of the people who put us into these offices and I take that very seriously.
She also talked about changing the culture of Albany. Im looking forward to a fresh collaborative approach thats how Ive always conducted myself, its nothing new to me, but its something Ill be introducing to the state Capitol.
Cuomo denied the allegations and departed on Monday in characteristically belligerent fashion, lambasting the report that toppled him as a political and media stampede.
Before he left the executive mansion for the last time, Cuomo wielded his clemency powers in the cases of six men.
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James entered the race as a formidable candidate for the Democratic nomination just months after issuing a damning report that drove Andrew Cuomo from office in a sexual harassment scandal.
James, 63, is the first woman elected as New Yorks attorney general and the first Black person to serve in the role. With a power base in New York City, she was poised to be a top threat to Gov. Kathy Hochul, who had been Cuomos lieutenant governor.
During an unrelated press conference Thursday, Hochul said that James called her, prior to the news becoming public, that she intended to drop out of the race.
“She let me know her intention was to remain doing the critically important work that she has undertaken in the attorney general’s office,” Hochul said, adding they will continue to work together.
“All I can say is that I respect her tremendously, always have,” the governor said. ” I support her re-election.”
Hochul, who is from the Buffalo area, entered office with a reputation as a political centrist but has been striving to win over New York City progressives, making numerous appearances in the city during her first months in office.
In her initial official campaign video, which was released in October, James speaks of her Brooklyn roots and passion for speaking on behalf of and fighting for the vulnerable New Yorkers.
“I’ve held accountable those who mistreat and harass women in the workplace, no matter how powerful the offender,” James says.
Women’s Issues And Abortion
In 2013, Cuomo called for the passage of a Women’s Equality Act. The Women’s Equality Act included 10 component bills affecting issues such as domestic violence, human trafficking, and pregnancy discrimination. The tenth bill of the Women’s Equality Act was the Reproductive Health Act, which would have “enshrine in state law existing federal protections for abortion rights,” “shift the state’s abortion law from the criminal code to the health care laws,” and ” it clearer that licensed health care practitioners as well as physicians could perform abortions”. During his 2013 State of the State address, Cuomo said, “Enact a Reproductive Health Act because it is her body, it is her choice. Because it’s her body, it’s her choice. Because it’s her body, it’s her choice.” The New York State Assembly passed the Women’s Equality Act on June 20, 2013. The Republican leadership of the New York State Senate expressed support for the nine non-abortion-related planks of the Women’s Equality Act, but objected to the Reproductive Health Act and expressed unwillingness to allow a vote on it.
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So Who Is Kathy Hochul Related To
The incoming New York governor grew up as one of six children. Her campaign website describes her family as blue-collar Irish Catholic.
Her mother, Patricia Courtney, passed away in 2014, survived by Kathys father Jack.
Jack Courtney was a steelworker and union organiser. Kathy grew up in Buffalo, New York, where she still lives today.
She married William J Hochul Jr in 1984 another Buffalo native. Bill Hochul retired from public service in 2016 after almost 30 years in the Department of Justice.
Former president Barack Obama nominated Hochul to serve as the United States Attorney for the Western District of New York in 2009. However, despite a long career in public service, he did not hold public office.
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Gov. Cuomos resignation announcement paved the way for longtime public servant Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul to become the Empire States first woman governor.
The 63-year-old whose political career took her from an upstate town board to Congress and through two-terms as the next in line to the governor took over for Cuomo when his resignation in the wake of sexual harassment allegations went into effect on Aug. 24.
Kathy is absolutely ready, Erie County Democratic Party Chairman Jeremy Zellner told The Post.
Theres one word that describes our lieutenant governor: tenacious, continued Zellner, pointing to Hochuls ability to appeal to rural and urban Democrats alike. Shes been a bulldog from day one. She knows what needs to get done for the people of New York.
A Buffalo native and steelworkers daughter, Hochul received her BA from Syracuse University, and a law degree from the Columbus School of Law at Washington, DCs Catholic University.
She then held her first public office, on the town board in Hamburg, near Buffalo, from 1994 to 2007.
In 2003, Hochul was tapped by Erie County Clerk David Swarts as his deputy. When Swarts resigned in 2007, Hochul was elected to finish out his term, and clinched re-election in 2010.
When she served as Erie County Clerk, Hochul made headlines for her resistance to then-Gov. Eliot Spitzers plan to allow illegal immigrants to get drivers licenses.
With Post wires
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New York Governor’s Race Shakes Up With James Exit
James’ departure is a significant moment in Hochul’s quest to become the first woman to be elected governor.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks during an event at the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association on Nov. 10, 2021 in New York. | Mary Altaffer/AP Photo
12/16/2021 12:24 PM EST
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ALBANY, N.Y. New York Attorney General Tish James presented Gov. Kathy Hochul with an early holiday gift on Thursday, bowing out of the coming Democratic gubernatorial primary and making the incumbent a clear favorite to win the partys nomination next year.
It’s not as though the field is totally clear for Hochul: New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Rep. Tom Suozzi and, probably, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio will all be trying to get on June’s primary ballot.
Still, James’ departure is a significant moment in Hochul’s quest to become the first woman to be elected governor of New York. It removes a candidate who was thought to be her toughest potential obstacle and means Democratic state leadership and top donors will no longer be split between the two frontrunners, potentially narrowing the path for everyone else. The only way have a chance is if it becomes a multiple-candidate race with very strong candidates, state Democratic Committee Chair Jay Jacobs said in an interview. Tish the second-strongest candidate, and her departure from the race makes the odds much longer for someone like Suozzi or Williams.
Early Life And Education
Hochul was born Kathleen Courtney in Buffalo, New York, the second of the six children of John P. “Jack” Courtney, then a college student and clerical worker, and Patricia Ann “Pat” Courtney, a homemaker. Hochul’s family struggled financially during her early years and for a time lived in a trailer near a steel plant. By the time Hochul was in college, however, her father was working for the information technology company he later headed. Her family is Irish Catholic, with roots in Kerry.
Hochul became politically active during her college years at Syracuse University, leading a boycott of the student bookstore over high prices and an unsuccessful effort to name the university stadium after alumnus running back, NFL draft pick, and cancer victim Ernie Davis. She successfully lobbied the university to divest from apartheid South Africa, and in spring 1979, the student newspaper The Daily Orange awarded her an “A”, citing the campus changes as evidence for the grade. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the Maxwell School of Syracuse University in 1980 and a Juris Doctor from the Catholic UniversityColumbus School of Law in 1984.
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Fall Of A Political Dynasty: Posts Coverage Of Cuomos Demise
And Karen Hinton, 62, told the Washington Post that in 2000, Cuomo, then the head of the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, grabbed her in a very long, too long, too tight, too intimate embrace inside a dimly lit hotel room in Los Angeles.
In an Albany press briefing held between Ruchs allegation and those of Liss and Hinton, an embarrassed Cuomo offered a conditional apology if were offended, while denying allegations that he touched anyone inappropriately.
At the time, he vowed he would not resign.
After Liss and Hinton spoke up, Cuomo repeated that promise during another briefing, which also saw him try to explain away his treatment of Liss as commonplace niceties in his line of work, while characterizing Hinton as a longtime political adversary with ulterior motives.
James report affirmed the accounts offered by those women and uncovered another victim, a state trooper assigned to the unit tasked with protecting Cuomo.
The trooper, who has not been publicly named, told investigators that Cuomo had her transferred to the Protective Services Unit following a chance meeting at the RFK Bridge in 2017, despite her not meeting the qualifications for the unit.
Once she was assigned to the unit that kept her in close contact with Cuomo, the governor kissed her on the cheek, touched her without warning on the back and stomach, and made numerous sexually suggestive comments in her presence, she told investigators.
Additonal reporting by Aaron Feis
Kathy Hochul Becomes New Yorks First Female Governor
ALBANY, N.Y. Kathy Hochul became the first female governor of New York at the stroke of midnight Tuesday, taking control of a state government desperate to get back to business after months of distractions over sexual harassment allegations against Andrew Cuomo.
The Democrat from western New York was sworn in as governor in a brief, private ceremony in the New York State Capitol overseen by the states chief judge, Janet DiFiore.
Afterward, she told WGRZ, a Buffalo television station, she felt the weight of responsibility on her shoulders.
Ill tell New Yorkers Im up to the task. And Im really proud to be able to serve as their governor and I wont let them down, she said.
Hochuls ascent to the top job was a history-making moment in a capital where women have only recently begun chipping away at a notoriously male-dominated political culture.
Cuomo left office at 12:00 a.m, two weeks after he announced he would resign rather than face a likely impeachment battle. He submitted his resignation letter late Monday to the leaders of the state Assembly and Senate.
Hochul was scheduled to have a ceremonial swearing-in event Tuesday morning at the Capitol, with more pomp than the brief, legally required event during the night.
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And Finally: The Fiberglass Cows Have Returned
The cows are back.
Twenty-one years ago, about 500 fiberglass cows decorated by artists, celebrities and schoolchildren were placed across New York City. The vibrantly colorful cows grazed in parks and on sidewalks, where tourists snapped photos, children clamored to climb up on them and thieves plotted attention-getting heists.
Now, though, the cows are less like a wild herd drumming up chaos across the five boroughs and more like an elite pack of pampered show cows being trotted out at the county fair.
Last week, 78 fiberglass cows were settled in eight locations in the city, mostly where they can be watched by security guards or cameras. At Hudson Yards, 22 cows stand inside and outside the luxury shopping mall, posing under the escalators or looking out a glass balcony toward Kate Spade and Coach .
The company in charge of the public art exhibition, CowParade, did not want a repeat of the events of 2000, when cows were defaced with graffiti, had their ears cut off or disappeared from their podiums.
That event was one hell of a learning experience for us, said Jerome Elbaum, the founder of CowParade, who is now 81. We were very naïve in those days.
Its Tuesday make a splash.
Who Is Kathy Hochul
The incoming governor has served in several government positions in New York, from small town council member and county clerk to the U.S. Congress as a representatives for New Yorks 26th district.
Hochul, 62, will take office in two weeks when Cuomo formally leaves the governors office, The New York Times reported. She will serve for the remainder of Cuomos term and will have to run for election if she wants to remain in the governors office past 2021.
- That her ascension came by way of a mans downfall is a testament to the states long history of male political dominance, and its equally long history of male misbehavior, something that has become a growing political liability amid shifting social mores around power and gender dynamics, wrote the Times New York politics reporter Dana Rubinstein.
The Associated Press reported that the lieutenant governor is a seasoned veteran of retail politics and well-liked by colleagues.
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Hochul Is Sworn In: I Want People To Believe In Their Government Again
Kathy Hochul, who is the first woman to serve as New Yorks governor, has vowed to usher in a new era of civility and consensus in state government.
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New York Gubernatorial Election
Cuomo first ran for the Democratic nomination for the New York governor seat in 2002. He was initially the favorite for the nomination and led in fundraising and polls, but his campaign took serious damage after a gaffe. Speaking about the aftermath of the , Cuomo said, “Pataki stood behind the leader. He held the leader’s coat. He was a great assistant to the leader. But he was not a leader. Cream rises to the top, and Rudy Giuliani rose to the top.” His remarks were widely derided even his father, former governor , later admitted it was a blunder.
On the eve of the state convention, Cuomo withdrew from consideration after concluding that he had little chance of support against the favored party candidate, State ComptrollerCarl McCall. McCall went on to lose the general election to incumbent George Pataki.
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A Woman’s Way To Power
Hochul has an opportunity here, however, to short circuit the pathways to executive authority, which is particularly significant in a state like New York where powerful political gatekeepers wield significant influence, and that influence is frequently wielded to the detriment of women, people of color, and other newcomers and outsiders.
Of the 44 women who have served as governor, a full 25% ascended to their position from lieutenant governor or other first-in-the-line positions upon the resignation, removal, or death of their predecessor. Of these 11 governors, six have gone on to win election to the governors office in their own right.
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Notably, since 2004 every woman to ascend to a governorship in this way has subsequently been re-elected to the position. When Hochul takes office, four of the nine current women governors will have first entered office through succession rather than election. Three of those Kate Brown of Oregon, Kay Ivey of Alabama, and Kim Reynolds of Iowa were subsequently elected in their own right. These facts simultaneously speak to the depressing current reality of American politics and to Hochuls potential future success.
Albany’s Culture Of Corruption
These are daunting tasks that leave her dangling precariously over the glass cliff. The pandemic has shown a terrifying resilience even in the face of miraculous medical advancements. Unethical and corrupt behavior in New York is deep-seated and bipartisan its a state where the most recent elected governor before Cuomo, Eliot Spitzer, also resigned in disgrace, as did former state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, and both a Republican majority leader of the state Senate, Dean Skelos, and a Democratic speaker of the state Assembly, Sheldon Silver, were convicted of corruption in 2015 .
At her first news conference after the announcement of Cuomos resignation Hochul said, At the end of my term, whenever it ends, no one will ever describe my administration as a toxic work environment. But systemic change in Albany wont be accomplished under a single leader, no matter how impressive her executive skills turn out to be.
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Kathy Hochuls swearing-in as the 57th governor of New York will be steeped in symbolism, as another apparent serial sexual harasser falls away, and, this time, a woman rises to replace him.
When women prove themselves in executive office, theyre not just proving to us that they can lead theyre showing proof for different models of leadership. Theyre showing us the future of leadership.
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