'I Will Fight Like Hell For You': Lt. Gov. Hochul On Future

LONG ISLAND, NY — One day after Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced his resignation, Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, who will be taking the reins, spoke to the public for the first time Wednesday.

Hochul said she spoke to Cuomo, who pledged his full support for a smooth transition. "Regarding his decision to step down, I believe it was appropriate and in the best interests of the state of New York," she said.

While she said the decision was not expected, she is prepared to step up and will spend the next 13 days until she takes office as New York's first woman governor meeting with elected officials, business and faith leaders, and others, as well as building out her senior staff.

Hochul, who will become the state's 57th governor, acknowledged the challenges, including the coronavirus delta variant, which is "raging," as well as the issue of children returning to school, which has sparked a "lot of anxiety" among parents. Hochul also addressed the need to help small businesses.

"I will fight like hell for you every single day," she said.

She added that while she has a vision, she will detail her plans once she takes office. "The state of New York has one governor at a time," she said.

Hochul said she is engaged in regular briefings with the state's health care partners and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

When asked if she would retain members of the senior staff "looking to discredit the women" in state Attorney General Letitia James' report regarding accusations of sexual harassment leveled at Cuomo, Hochul said: "No one who was named as doing anything unethical in the report will remain in my administration. There will be turnover ... I think it's very clear the governor and I have not been close, physically or otherwise."

Hochul said she has spent her time traveling the state and not in Cuomo's presence.

"No one will ever describe my administration as a toxic work environment," she said.

Discussing the state's lagging vaccination rate or whether the state could again declare a state of emergency, Hochul said again that for the next 13 days, the decisions remain Cuomo's.

"All options are on the table," she said, adding that she was working closely with health care professionals and the CDC. "I believe the key to getting through this is getting vaccinated," she said.

When asked if she was aware of the allegations made against Cuomo, Hochul said she was not. She said she has spent her time on raising the minimum wage, paid family leave, addressing opioid and heroin abuse, child care, affordable housing and economic development — all Cuomo administration policies that many have supported, she said.

Hochul said she expects to announce her choice for the next lieutenant governor in the next two weeks, with an eye toward diversity.