Kathy Hochul, the first female governor of New York 3:08
(CNN) -
Kathy Hochul was sworn in as New York's first female governor shortly after midnight Tuesday, replacing her disgraced predecessor, Andrew Cuomo, who resigned amid multiple scandals, including a report from the state attorney general. which found he sexually harassed 11 women.
Originally from Buffalo, Hochul served as Cuomo's lieutenant governor since 2015. But the couple were rarely seen together outside of campaign seasons.
In his public comments after Cuomo announced he would resign, Hochul tried to underscore his distance from the tainted executive as he prepared to take the reins and launch his own bid for reelection next year.
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In Hochul's first remarks as governor-in-waiting, on Aug. 11, she distanced herself from Cuomo, vowing to get rid of any of her advisers "singled out for doing something unethical" in state attorney general Letitia James's report as part of his efforts to remake a notoriously pernicious executive chamber.
"No one," Hochul said, "will ever describe my administration as a toxic work environment."
Hochul's rise coincides with the final act of Cuomo's decade-long rule in New York State, a period in which he ruthlessly consolidated power and became a national political star.
During the first months of the coronavirus pandemic, his daily television briefings earned him the adoration of Democrats across the country, who viewed Cuomo as the deed-driven antithesis of then-President Donald Trump.
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But he burned out spectacularly in the months that followed, when a closer look at his handling of the crisis revealed questionable decision-making, most notably his administration's decision to send COVID-19 patients back to nursing homes. and put the spotlight on his alleged use of state resources to help him write a story of triumph.
Earlier this year, the former governor, who was once considered for a fourth term, faced mounting allegations of sexual misconduct, which he still denies, and backlash over the lack of reports from the state health department of related deaths. covid-19 in care centers.
Facing impeachment in the State Assembly and conviction and impeachment by the State Senate, Cuomo announced nearly two weeks ago that he would resign.
The assembly leaders paused their investigation days later, but then backtracked and finally decided to complete a report outlining their findings.
It has not been released yet.
Stepping out of Cuomo's long shadow and winning over the leaders and lawmakers who stood up to him has been an initial priority for the 62-year-old Hochul, who will immediately face an onslaught of new and persistent challenges, since rising Covid-19 case rates up to speeding up the distribution of rental assistance and potentially extending the eviction moratorium statewide, which will expire on August 31.
Reinforcing old relationships and building new ones with the legislature, which was often treated with disdain by Cuomo, could be crucial to Hochul's fate, now and in the upcoming election season.
Delivering on his promise to ditch Cuomo's top advisers would likely be a welcome start, said Kenneth Sherrill, professor emeritus of political science at Hunter College.
"I don't think it is difficult to identify the main bullies. Everybody in Albany can name them and most of the press corps can name them. They have never been shy about making the phone calls or doing it face to face," Sherrill told CNN .
"That has to be done. And I think a lot of that has to do with building a good relationship with the legislature."
Under pressure
Hochul will be under pressure to pursue reinforced ethical standards in Albany and private workplaces throughout the state. Leading advocates for survivors of sexual misconduct are calling on Hochul to act quickly and use his newfound power to pressure state lawmakers to pass dormant legislation that would expand oversight and offer new protections to workers.
"At the end of the day, incoming Governor Hochul is part of an institution that has so far failed miserably to protect staff and support survivors when they come forward," said Erica Vladimer, co-founder of the Sexual Harassment Working Group, an organization founded by former state legislative employees. "It's not about her connection to Cuomo, it's her connection to the entire institution of state government. She has a great responsibility in assuming the role of governor, but any elected official has a great responsibility to the staff and the survivors."
Hochul also faces initial questions about a possible conflict of interest in relation to her husband, William Hochul Jr., the general counsel and senior vice president of the hospitality and gambling giant Delaware North, a company with significant business before him. state. In his new job, Hochul controls the New York Gaming Commission, which regulates a large and growing gambling market.
"Kathy Hochul, who did not have the power as a lieutenant governor to really influence things, will have all the power as governor to be able to give the green light and influence the agreements between state regulators and state agencies and public authorities and Delaware North." said John Kaehny, executive director of the governance group Reinvent Albany.
"Bottom line: She's in a place to earn Delaware North a ton of money if she wants to by giving them favorable treatment and putting her thumb on the scale."
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When asked about these concerns by CNN's Jake Tapper on "State of the Union" last week, Hochul said he has sought the advice of "outside ethics experts to come up with a tough policy, so no one questions that there is some involvement with my husband in all things New York state. "
"My husband was a federal prosecutor for 30 years. So even when I was in Congress, we are used to keeping our job very separate," said Hochul, who had previously told CNN that the couple would continue their current policy of recusal. .
"He served as US Attorney for Barack Obama for eight years. So no one can touch the integrity with which we have held our positions in the past and today."
Although the specific ethical issues raised by her husband's position could irritate any newly promoted political leader, Hochul's situation has been further complicated by Cuomo, who despite having made a promise to clean up the state government presided over a further decline. in the autonomy and independence of powerful agencies.
"Under Cuomo, (public authorities and state agencies) have been crushed over the last decade, so they get used to doing what the governor's office tells them," Kaehny said.
"That firewall is gone."
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Hochul has publicly acknowledged that additional layers of oversight might be necessary and, effective Tuesday, Delaware North, according to a Hochul adviser, will create a "firewall" that prohibits her husband from engaging in state business, restricts her compensation from dealings with the state and puts in place a process to monitor its communications with the governor's office to ensure compliance with the new rules.
Building a government ... and a bigger political base
Hochul has embraced progressive leaders during his recent trips across the state and they, in turn, offered him political space and some kind words before Cuomo's departure. But that honeymoon is expected to end when potential left-wing gubernatorial candidates announce their intentions, and delve into their track record, before next year's elections.
In 2011, Hochul won a special election to represent New York's 26th Congressional District, a seat Republicans held for decades before the resignation of former Rep. Chris Lee.
But Hochul lost his bid for reelection the following year after the district was redesigned.
His opponent then, former Rep. Chris Collins, would end up resigning in 2019, a day before he pleaded guilty in an insider trading case.
Although his time in Congress was short, Hochul is a veteran state and local politician with deep roots in New York's more conservative west.
As a moderate, she has shifted to the left over the years with the Democratic Party. In 2007, during her time as Erie County Clerk, Hochul emerged as a vocal opponent of then-Governor Eliot Spitzer's plan to allow driver's licenses to be issued to undocumented immigrants. But his position, as he reiterated this month, "evolved" and he eventually wrote an opinion piece in 2019 backing the "Green Light" bill shortly before Cuomo signed it into law.
Hochul also received an endorsement and an "A" rating from the National Rifle Association a decade ago, before taking on gun rights activist groups for his support of New York's post-Sandy Hook SAFE Act and joining forces with the incumbent governor when he sought a second term in 2014.
Although she was not close to Cuomo, Hochul is likely to find criticism for her political alliance, which included her involvement in launching the Women's Equality Party, an organization the governor co-founded, ostensibly as a new vehicle for electing progressive lawmakers. support abortion rights, ahead of its 2014 primary campaign. The party, which endorsed Cuomo and was admitted to the ballot under the provisions of the state's merger voting system, quickly dissipated and is widely regarded as emblematic of his cynical political style.
The political ramifications of Cuomo's team's exit tactics, most neatly illustrated in a recent opinion piece by a senior aide and the governor's farewell speech, remain to be seen, though they could be a gift for a new executive. that seeks to distinguish itself from the outgoing administration.
"What is clear is that Hochul really seeks to define herself as a stark contrast to the governor," said Sochie Nnaemeka, director of the progressive New York Working Families Party.
"Now he's looking to create an identity that could work very well for progressive workers in the state. But it doesn't quite answer the question of what drives Kathy Hochul's political decisions: to whom is she accountable? What drives her?" .
In a formula with Cuomo, in 2018, Hochul defeated one of New York City's top progressives, Jumaane Williams, who has since been elected as the city's public defender, by less than 7 percentage points.
But Williams, who will run against her again, this time for governor, next year, defeated Hochul in Manhattan and Brooklyn, underscoring her need to build and shore up support in the city.
Those efforts are well under way.
Hochul spent much of the two weeks since Cuomo's notification meeting with city officials, including Williams.
The two issued a joint statement after their meeting, calling it a "productive dialogue."
Andrew Cuomo meets his last day as governor of New York 3:10
On Monday morning, Hochul also announced two high-profile hires: Karen Persichilli Keogh, a former advisor to Hillary Clinton and head of global philanthropy at JPMorgan Chase, has been appointed secretary to the governor, a powerful position previously held by Melissa DeRosa, who he resigned shortly before his old boss.
Elizabeth Fine will serve as Hochul's senior advisor after serving as legal director at New York's premier economic development agency.
But Hochul has yet to announce her replacement as lieutenant governor, perhaps the most politically sensitive option before her.
She has said that the selection will come from upstate, probably from New York City.
A Hochul adviser told CNN that a decision will be made this week.
Hochul has spoken with several Brooklyn and Bronx-based leaders, including Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, Member of the State Assembly and Chairman of the Brooklyn Democratic Party, Bronx Borough President Rubén Diaz Jr., and State Senators Brian Benjamin and Jamaal. Bailey, as first reported in The New York Times.
Bichotte Hermelyn, Bailey and Diaz Jr. endorsed Democratic New York City mayoral candidate Eric Adams, Brooklyn Borough President, before the June primaries.
Benjamin, who ran unsuccessfully for a comptroller career, announced his support for Adams earlier this month.
The political calculus underlying Hochul's eventual election has become the favorite game of New York politicians.
Lieutenant governor is, by law, a largely ceremonial position, although Hochul's recent experience underscores the interest in who holds the position.
Still, the election is an excellent opportunity for Hochul to define his political persona in the north of the state, which could make or break his hopes of re-election.
"I really think she needs a young and energetic progressive person as Lieutenant Governor. It's the easiest, fastest way to reach the community that is most problematic for her in the primaries," Sherrill said.
"Part of me thinks she wants to have a man (on the ballot), but I don't think there is anything terribly politically problematic about having two women. I think that might help her in a primary."
CNN's Brynn Gingras, Mark Morales, and Veronica Stracqualursi contributed to this report.
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