Hochul seeks fresh start after Cuomo scandal

Rochester, N.Y. — Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) is signaling the start of a new era in Albany politics as she prepares to replace outgoing Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) in the wake of his sexual misconduct scandal.

Hochul will take over as governor in less than two weeks, becoming the Empire State’s first female governor and the first governor since Grover Cleveland in 1883 to represent Western New York.

In a press conference this week, Hochul was quick to distance herself from Cuomo, underscoring both the tarnished brand of her soon-to-be predecessor and the public’s desire for a reset.

“I know New Yorkers. They are hardwired to persevere and to prevail. And the promise I make to all New Yorkers, right here and right now: I will fight like hell for you every single day, like I’ve always done and always will,” Hochul said on Wednesday in her first public remarks since Cuomo resigned on Tuesday.

Hochul appears to already be hitting the ground running on politics and policy. The incoming governor signaled her support for statewide mask mandates in schools in an interview on Thursday and already has plans to host a fundraiser on Wednesday in her hometown of Buffalo.

The move shows how Hochul is already gearing up to build her political apparatus in 2022 as Republicans hope to make inroads in the traditionally blue state in the midterms.

“She has put herself in a strong position politically by being prepared for reelection next year,” said Erie County, N.Y. Democratic Committee Chairman Jeremy Zellner. “She has spent the last eight years not just sitting on the sidelines as lieutenant governor but going out and meeting elected officials [and] forging relationships.”

Hochul has also garnered praise from Western New York Republicans despite disagreeing on a number of issues.

“I have tremendous respect for her,” said state Sen. Patrick Gallivan (R), who worked with Hochil in Erie County, which part of his district covers. “I think what’s important for public service is that she’s a good person first.” 

Hochul’s lieutenant governor reelection campaign reported having $1.7 million in the bank last month. Cuomo, who reported having $18 million cash on hand after the first half of the year, still has not ruled out running for another term.

“I certainly don’t have a crystal ball, but I’d day that would be pretty pathetic if that was something he was considering,” said state Assemblyman Jonathan Rivera, who represents New York’s 149th district in Buffalo.

“People elected all of us to come to Albany,to do a job, and then to bring forth the policies that they want to see, to secure resources for our districts which are underserved and to support positive change in government,” he said. “Everything that has happened within the last year with the Cuomo administration has really hindered that because it’s been an overarching distraction.”

But Republicans are still signaling they will work to tie Hochul to Cuomo, asking how much she knew and when about the sexual misconduct allegations and the scandal involving the reporting of COVID-19 deaths in New York nursing homes.

“In November of 2022, we must rid New York of the Cuomo-Hochul administration and its disgraceful legacy,” GOP gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin said in a statement this week. “We need new leadership in New York to end the attacks on our freedoms, our wallets and our safety, and Save Our State.”

However, Hochul was not mentioned once in New York Attorney General Letitia James’s investigative report into allegations against Cuomo, and she is not known to be a part of the outgoing governor’s inner circle.

Hochul’s allies have instead touted her “collaborative” leadership style, which they say is in sharp contrast to that of Cuomo’s.

“I think you’re going to see a different kind of relationship with the legislature with Kathy, a more cooperative relationship to get things done for the people of the state of New York,” Zellner said. “Instead of a ‘do this mentality,’ it’s going to a ‘what can we get done?’”

State Sen. Shelley Mayer (D) called the upcoming changing of the guard “a rest of the culture of the executive branch.”

Hochul will likely face challenges when she assumes office as coronavirus cases in New York tick up amid the latest delta variant strain. The incoming governor will also have to juggle the needs of a large and diverse state. 

“Something COVID requires is a nuanced view of what’s needed in my district might be different than what’s needed in Upstate New York or what’s needed in Brooklyn or Staten Island,” Mayer said. “I’m very optimistic that it will be a change in tone as we try to maneuver through this tough period.”

Hochul is poised to bring a new perspective to the governor’s mansion not only as a woman, but as someone who hails from the Western New York region. The lieutenant governor grew up in an Irish Catholic family in Buffalo, near the Bethlehem Steel Plant, where her father worked.

Her background differs greatly from the men who came before her, many of whom hailed from the political power centers of downstate New York and New York City.

“What we’ve had the last few years — the leadership of the Assembly, the leadership of the Senate, the governor all from in or around New York City, and it becomes the focus at the expense of the citizens of the rest of the state,” Gallivan said.  “There’s no question there will be a lot of pressure on her to remember where she came from and focus on all of the citizens of this state.”

Hochul’s recent predecessors, in addition to Cuomo, have faced scandals of their own. Former Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D) resigned in 2008 after it was revealed he was involved in a prostitution ring, while former Gov. David Patterson (D) did not seek reelection in 2010 amid allegations of witness tampering in a domestic violence case involving a top aide.

“Two of the last downstate guys resigned,” said Rich Horner, a Buffalo-based Democratic strategist and former political director of the New York State Democratic Committee, referring to Cuomo and Spitzer. “So Western New York should get an opportunity.”

Hochul will join a powerful group of female leaders in the state, including James and State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, who will act as lieutenant governor until she appoints a successor.

Advocates for advancing women in politics say Democratic women could face the welcome predicament of having two women running for governor in the state in the case that James launches her own bid.

“To go from never having a woman governor to having the potential of having two very strong and viable women candidates for governor in the state of New York will be important to watch,” said Debbie Walsh, the director of the Center for American Women in Politics at Rutgers University.

Hochul vowed to abolish the toxic environment that existed in Cuomo’s administration during her press conference this week, saying there will be “turnover” from the Cuomo era.

Her allies say she will help fix the pipeline of women coming to work in New York politics that was tarnished by the Cuomo scandal.

“One of the real dismays over the Cuomo situation was that young women who thought they had the opportunity of a lifetime to work in the governor’s executive office had an experience that really denigrated the value of the work,” Mayer said. “And we want to restore the sense that women should consider this.”