What New Yorkers Should Know About Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul, Who Would Succeed Cuomo

As Governor Andrew Cuomo stares down an investigation into sexual harassment allegations, there is one woman with a unique stake in what happens next for the governor. Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul, a native of Western New York and only the third woman to hold the office, is next in line should Cuomo resign or be removed from office.

If she were to ascend to the governor’s office, she would make history as the state’s first woman governor. She would also be the second Lieutenant Governor in a row to take over the job from a disgraced governor -- in 2008, Lieutenant Governor David Paterson suddenly became governor of the New York after Eliot Spitzor resigned amidst a prostitution scandal.

Hochul is Cuomo’s second lieutenant governor, joining the ticket for the 2014 election after then-LG Robert Duffy said he would not seek reelection. Like Duffy, the former mayor of Rochester, Hochul brought upstate credibility to Cuomo’s statewide ticket. Cuomo announced his selection in a video played at the New York State Democratic Convention in 2014.

Here’s a quick primer on who Hochul is and what she brings to the executive office.