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ALBANY, NY (AP) – Kathy Hochul, a Western New York Democrat unknown to many in the state even after six years as a lieutenant governor, was due to start running for the public on Wednesday as she prepared to take the reins of power after Governor Andrew Cuomo announced he would resign from office.
Hochul, 62, will become the state’s first female governor in two weeks, after a remarkable transition period in which Cuomo said he would stay and work to facilitate her in a job he dominated during of his three terms.
She remained out of public sight on Tuesday, but said in a statement she was “prepared to lead.” Hochul was planning to hold his first press conference on Wednesday afternoon at the State Capitol.
Cuomo, 63, announced Tuesday that he would step down rather than face a likely impeachment trial over allegations he sexually harassed several women, including one who accused him of tampering with his breasts.
Cuomo continued to deny touching anyone inappropriately and said his instinct was to fight back against allegations he saw as unfair or fabricated. But he said with the state still in a pandemic crisis, it was best to step aside so that state leaders can “take back power.”
That job will return to Hochul, who briefly served in Congress representing a district in the Buffalo area, but deliberately kept a modest profile as a lieutenant governor in a state where Cuomo commanded – and demanded – the spotlight.
A seasoned veteran of retail politics, Hochul shares some of Cuomo’s centrist politics, but is a stylistic contrast to a governor famous for his love of steamy naysayers and grudge. She’s highly regarded by her colleagues, who say voters shouldn’t mistake her silent approach under Cuomo with a lack of confidence or competence.
“Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul will be a Governor Extraordinary,” Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, another veteran of northern politics, told reporters at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday. “She understands the complexities and the needs of our state, having served as both Congressman and Lieutenant Governor in recent years. ”
How much Cuomo will be involved remains to be seen to state government over the next two weeks, or how he will handle the transfer of authority – something he rarely ceded during his tenure.
His circle of advisers has shrunk, but his closest collaborator and political partner Melissa DeRosa – who was a familiar face alongside Cuomo during his televised briefings on New York’s fight against the coronavirus pandemic – has made a comeback. surprise after announcing his resignation from the administration Sunday. The governor’s office said she would retain her position as secretary to the governor until Cuomo left.
Cuomo’s decision to resign came exactly one week after Attorney General Letitia James released a report concluding that he had sexually harassed 11 women.
For days after the report was released, Cuomo urged those close to him that he could weather the storm, but even his closest outside advisers told him it would be impossible.
Cuomo was privately frustrated that few people were willing to say anything to defend him publicly and urged his remaining lawyer and advisers to question the credibility of his accusers, according to a person with direct knowledge. of the last days of the governor’s mandate. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss the private and sensitive conversations.
Cuomo decided he would quit after DeRosa left and began writing remarks for a resignation address, the person said.
Late Monday night, Cuomo told a small number of his closest advisers that he planned to step down, the person said. But Cuomo had kept the announcement very close, choosing not to even tell the other top Democrats in New York.
The governor personally drafted messages in response to the attorney general’s report and helped craft some of the wordings his lawyer Rita Glavin made during a virtual press briefing ahead of her resignation, the person said. .
Leaders in the state legislature have yet to say whether they plan to drop an impeachment inquiry that has been ongoing since March and is due to conclude in the coming weeks.
In addition to examining his conduct with the women, lawyers hired by the State Assembly had investigated whether the administration manipulated data on COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes and whether Cuomo had improperly enlisted the help of his staff in writing a book on the pandemic.
Republicans have urged the Democratic-controlled legislature to move forward with impeachment, possibly to prevent Cuomo from running for re-election.
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Associated Press Writer Michael Balsamo contributed to this report.
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This story has been corrected to remove an erroneous reference to Hochul speaking in the same room where Cuomo had his coronavirus briefings.
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