Kathy Hochul is in her second term as Lieutenant Governor and will soon take over one of the highest-profile positions in American politics when New York Governor Andrew Cuomo resigns.
During a long career in office that started on the Hamburg town board in the 90s, Hochul had a short stint in Congress. She won a special election in 2011 to represent western New York, and was ousted a year later in a close race under new Congressional maps.
But colleagues who were in Congress that term say Hochul left an impression.
Retired northern New York Representative Bill Owens, now a WAMC commentator, says he and Hochul – both Democrats – shared a close relationship.
“Kathy was elected in a special election as I was, and she came to Congress and we had many things in common, which caused us to commiserate on a regular basis. She came from a district not dissimilar to mine. And she was by nature a moderate, so we would frequently talk about how we were going to vote on a variety of pieces of legislation. And so almost anything that was significant that we voted on, we had a conversation about. So I got to know her pretty well, and continue to believe that she remains a moderate, solid thinker,” Owens said in an interview.
Current New York Congressman Paul Tonko, a Democrat from the 20th district who went to Washington in 2009, had called on Cuomo to step down for months.
He says the delegation is looking forward to a fresh start with the executive branch.
“I think we’re a good team and we’ve all worked with Kathy Hochul when she was a member of Congress, and so I think that kind of bonded quality is good for the delegation and good for the state of New York,” he said.
On WAMC’s Congressional Corner, Tonko outlined Hochul’s qualities.
“Very determined," he said. "She’s a hard worker, she’s very energetic, and very focused. She’s good on her feet. She’s expressed her concerns on various issues in a very articulate way. And I think she’s into it for the right reasons. She’s genuine.”
Over the border, Vermont Congressman Peter Welch has been in office since 2007. The Democrat also spoke on the Congressional Corner.
“She was a very highly regarded member of Congress," Welch said. "She won a district that we and the Democrats had no ability to win, except that she was such a good candidate. While she was there for a short time, she was a popular member and a very collegial member. And a lot of the things I’m reading about her, her travels around New York, her retail politics and her skill in building relationships, that’s all consistent with king of member I saw her to be.”
As for how long Hochul will be there? Tonko says he expects competition after she told NBC she will seek a full four-year term in 2022:
“Oh, I think you’ll see a number of people showing interest in the gubernatorial race. That doesn’t open up often. I think you’ll see a lot of interest shown and it’ll be an interesting primary,” he said.
First, Hochul has to be sworn in on August 24.
