Kathy Hochul Sworn In As New York’s First Female Governor As Cuomo Leaves In Disgrace
Andrew Trunskyon August 24, 2021
Kathy Hochul was sworn in just after midnight Tuesday as New York’s first female governor at the state capitol in Albany.
The private ceremony,reportedby the Associated Press, comes two weeks after former Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced he wasresigningafter an independent report found he sexually harassed 11 women.
“I feel the weight of responsibility on my shoulders and I’ll tell New Yorkers I’m up to the task,” Hochul told a local station in Buffalo, New York. “And I’m really proud to be able to serve as their governor and I won’t let them down.”
Hochul previously served as Cuomo’s lieutenant governor and as a congresswoman from Buffalo. She has said that she was not close with Cuomo during her time as lieutenant governor, adding after the report was released that they had not spoken since February.
Cuomo was first accused of sexually harassing women in March, and calls for him to resign grew after Attorney General Letitia James found the women to be credible during an investigation. Shortly before he resigned he released a pre-recorded farewell video andcommutedthe sentence of six criminals, including some convicted for murder and terrorism charges.
Hochul is set to meet with political leaders in New York later Tuesday and address the state at 3 p.m., the AP noted. She takes over amid contentious political fights regarding vaccine mandates and masks in schools, and haspromised transparencyregarding the previous administration’s coronavirus response.
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact[email protected].