NEW YORK – Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, who is set to replace Gov. Andrew Cuomo later this month, said Thursday that she will run for a full term in 2022 and also indicated that she supports mask mandates in schools.
During an appearance on “Today,” Savannah Guthrie asked Hochul if she’d run for governor next year after finishing Cuomo's term.
“Yes I will. I fully expect to. I’m prepared for this, I’ve led a life working in every level of government from Congress to local government, I’m the most prepared person to assume this responsibility, and I’m going to ask the voters at some point for their faith in me again,” Hochul said.
“But right now, I need their faith, I need their prayers, and I need their support to make sure we get this right. And I’m confident they’ll see that I fight like hell every single day. It’s how I’m hardwired, and I’m looking forward to this challenge, and I won’t let New Yorkers down,” she said.
Asked about her views on mask mandates for schools, Hochul said, “I believe there will end up being mask mandates, I just don’t have the authority at this moment (as lieutenant governor).”
“This is an opinion right now, because Gov. Cuomo is still in office and this state only has one governor at a time, but when I become governor, this will be a key issue, and my view is that children and everyone in a school environment will be wearing masks,” she said.
Hochul, a Buffalo Democrat who has served as Erie County clerk and served one term in Congress before winning election as lieutenant governor in 2014, will become the first woman to be New York's governor when Cuomo's resignation becomes official on Aug. 24.
Hochul deflected questions about whether the state Assembly should proceed with impeachment proceedings despite Cuomo's impending exit, telling NBC, “I don't believe it's my position to weigh in on that situation.”
Cuomo announced Tuesday that he would resign rather than face a likely impeachment trial after Attorney General Letitia James released a report concluding he sexually harassed 11 women and describing a toxic work environment in his administration.
Cuomo, 63, denies that he touched anyone inappropriately and said his instinct was to fight back against the harassment claims. But he said it was best for him to step aside so the state's leaders could “get back to governing.”
The 62-year-old Hochul, who gave her first news conference as governor in waiting on Wednesday, reiterated that she will not tolerate harassment in her administration.
“I want to make sure that there's a message that I'm tough,” Hochul said Thursday. “I'm not going to put up with anything that crosses the line or even comes close to the line because this should be an environment where all people, women, members of the LGBTQ community, anyone, is free of harassment that they can come to work, work for the people of New York state, focus and get the job done.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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