NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Two weeks before Lieutenant Gov. Kathy Hochul is set to become New York's first female governor, new questions are being raised about her prior political beliefs.
Hochul, a former Erie County Clerk, reportedly rose to state-level prominence by threatening to thwart then-Democratic Gov. Elliot Spitzer's plan to give driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants, according to new reporting by The Daily Beast.
In her first press conference Wednesday, she said her position on the driver's license law changed.
"I had taken a position that has now evolved, and that evolution coincides with the evolution of many people, many people in the State of New York," she said. "I’m proud of that law."
A Buffalo native, Hochul was elected to the U.S. House in 2011 in the conservative-leaning 26th congressional district after then-incumbent Republican Rep. Chris Todd resigned over a shirtless photo scandal.
The Daily Beast reports that while Hochul supported tax cuts for the wealthy while in Congress, she pondered cutting entitlement programs like Medicaid and portions of the Affordable Care Act.
She was also one of 17 House Democrats to declare then-Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of court for declining to aid in a House investigation involving gun sales to traffickers. The National Rifle Association supported her candidacy in her 2012 re-election bid, although she lost to Republican Chris Collins.
However, after Hochul was picked by Gov. Andrew Cuomo as his running mate in 2014, her positions reportedly shifted, from supporting gun control reform to changing her earlier position on the driver's license law with an endorsement of the measure in 2018.
The 62-year-old has received endorsements from pro-choice groups like EMILY's List, though after reports emerged during the 2014 election that she reportedly donated money to an anti-gay, pro-life Texas ministry — she allegedly claimed no knowledge.
She proudly spoke of her support Wednesday for the Democratic legacies of the Cuomo administration, which includes "a strong legacy of accomplishment" that many people have supported.
"I was out there fighting in the streets to raise the minimum wage," she said. "I was out there fighting for paid family leave. I’ve been the champion of policies to eradicate the spectrum of heroin and opioid abuse. Something that has touched my family personally. Childcare issues. I’ve been out there making the announcements on affordable housing, clean energy, economic development."
She promised to "continue" and "enhance" these policies and pick a lieutenant governor for a "diverse and an inclusive ticket."
Hochul's office did not return for comment on the Daily Beast's report.
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