If Andrew Cuomo leaves office, Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul would become next New York Governor

Kathy Hochul, the 62-year-old lieutenant governor, would become the New York governor if Andrew Cuomo leaves the office following a report detailing almost a dozen allegations of sexual harassment. A growing number of legislators and government officials, including US President Joe Biden, have called on Cuomo to resign after the report from the state’s attorney general found that the governor sexually harassed multiple women, including current and former state government employees. However, Cuomo is more defiant than ever and has refuted the allegations, saying that the facts are “much different than what has been portrayed”.

But, several lawmakers have urged the NY Governor to resign from his position. Many are even supporting an impeachment process to remove Cuomo from office. Now, should Cuomo be impeached or choose to resign, New York Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul would be next in line and would become the state's first woman to hold the position.

Who is Kathy Hochul? 

The Democrat from western New York once served in Congress but has a limited public profile in the state. Hochul first leaped to the national stage in 2011 when she ran in a special election for a House of Representatives seat in one of New York's most conservative districts. She served even served one term before Cuomo selected her to be his running mate. They were sworn in in 2015. 

Following the report’s release, Hochul even said that she believed that women who accused Cuomo and called his behaviour “repulsive” and “unlawful”. While taking to Twitter, she said that the NY State Assembly will determine the next steps. She did not call on Cuomo to resign but said, "Because Lieutenant Governors stand next in the line of succession, it would not be appropriate to comment further on the process at this moment”. 

Meanwhile, as of now, several New York Democratic lawmakers are prepared to move forward with impeachment proceedings. After the report, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said that the report is “abundantly clear" Cuomo can no longer remain in office. US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the governors of neighbouring New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut, and many other Democrats, have also urged Cuomo to step down from his position.