Kathy Hochul is going to become the first female governor of New York, after Andrew Cuomo resigned on Tuesday over sexual harassment allegations.
Hochul, 62-year-old, will take over the post in just two weeks' time. Hochul joined the governor's team in 2014, and held the largely ceremonial role of lieutenant governor.
She is from a family of steelworkers, and her grandparents fled poverty in Ireland before making New York their home. One of six children, she gained an undergraduate degree from Syracuse University, and a law degree from Catholic University of America.
From there, she started off working as an aide on Capitol Hill and worked in local positions before being elected to Congress. Ironically, she led Cuomo's "Enough is Enough" campaign to fight sexual assault on college campuses.
In 2006 she also established the Kathleen Mary House, a transitional home for victims of domestic violence, with her mother and aunt.
Cuomo’s lieutenant governor had joined the chorus of politicians denouncing him last week, emphasizing that his resignation was the "right thing to do".
On his part, Cuomo asserted that Hochul is “smart and competent,” noting that “This transition must be seamless.”
“We have a lot going on, I’m very worried about the delta variant, and so should you be, but she can come up to speed quickly,” he added.
Cuomo resigned due to accusations of sexual harassment, inappropriate behavior and undercounting COVID-19 deaths connected to nursing homes.
He denied the accusations, but announced he would step down so that the government could focus on COVID-19 pandemic recovery without the distraction of a lengthy impeachment trial. The resignation will go into effect Aug.
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