1. Kathleen Hochul is an American politician and lawyer who has served since 2021 as the 57th governor of New York.
76 Facts About Kathy Hochul
1. 2.
Kathy Hochul was elected to a full term as Erie County clerk in 2007 and reelected in 2010.
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In May 2011, Kathy Hochul won a four-candidate special election for New York's 26th congressional district, becoming the first Democrat to represent the district in 40 years.
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Kathy Hochul served as a US representative from 2011 to 2013, and was defeated for reelection in 2012 by Chris Collins following redistricting.
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Kathy Hochul won a full term in the 2022 election against Republican US Representative Lee Zeldin in the narrowest New York gubernatorial election since 1994.
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In June 2024, shortly before it was to go into effect, Kathy Hochul abruptly halted a congestion pricing plan in Manhattan.
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Kathy Hochul became politically active during her college years at Syracuse University, leading a boycott of the student bookstore over high prices and an unsuccessful effort to name the university stadium after alumnus Ernie Davis, a star running back who died of cancer before he could join the National Football League.
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Kathy Hochul successfully lobbied the university to divest from apartheid South Africa.
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Kathy Hochul received a Bachelor of Arts with a major in political science from the Maxwell School of Syracuse University in 1980 and a Juris Doctor from the Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law in Washington, DC, in 1984.
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Kathy Hochul then worked as legal counsel and legislative assistant to US Representative John LaFalce and US Senator Daniel Moynihan, and for the New York State Assembly, before seeking elected office.
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Kathy Hochul became involved in local issues as a supporter of small businesses facing competition from Walmart stores and, in the process, caught the attention of local Democratic leaders.
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Kathy Hochul was elected to a full term in November 1994, on the Democratic and Conservative lines, and was reelected in 1998,2002, and 2006.
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Kathy Hochul resigned on April 10,2007, and was succeeded by former state assemblymember Richard A Smith.
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Governor Eliot Spitzer named Swarts to his administration in January 2007 and appointed Kathy Hochul to succeed Swarts as county clerk in April 2007.
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Kathy Hochul was elected later in 2007 to fill the remainder of Swarts's term.
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Kathy Hochul ran for reelection on four ballot lines: Democratic, Conservative, Independence and Working Families Party, defeating Republican Clifton Bergfeld in November 2010 with 80 percent of the vote.
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Kathy Hochul ran in the May 24,2011, special election to fill the seat in New York's 26th congressional district left vacant by the resignation of Chris Lee.
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Kathy Hochul was the Democratic Party and Working Families Party nominee.
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Additional polling in the days immediately before the election had Kathy Hochul leading by four- and six-point margins.
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Kathy Hochul was endorsed by EMILY's List, a political action committee that supports Democratic women candidates who support abortion rights.
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Kathy Hochul was the fifth largest recipient of EMILY's List funds in 2011, receiving more than $27,000 in bundled donations.
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Kathy Hochul met with then-President Barack Obama about the economy and job creation and introduced a motion to restore the Republican cuts to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
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Kathy Hochul looked for ways to reduce the federal budget deficit and expressed support for reducing Medicaid spending as long as the reductions would not be achieved in the form of block grants offered to states, as proposed in the Republican budget blueprint.
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Kathy Hochul spoke with Obama about ending tax breaks for oil companies and protecting small businesses.
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Kathy Hochul was one of 17 Democrats to join Republicans in supporting a resolution finding United States Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress relating to the ATF gunwalking scandal, a vote on which the NRA, which supported the resolution, announced it would be scoring lawmakers.
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Later in 2012, Kathy Hochul "trumpeted" her endorsement by the NRA and noted that she was just one of two New York Democrats to receive its support.
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Kathy Hochul was sworn in as lieutenant governor on January 1,2015.
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Cuomo tasked Kathy Hochul with chairing the 10 regional economic development councils that are the centerpiece of the administration's economic development plan.
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In 2018, Kathy Hochul supported legislation to provide driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants, which she had opposed as Erie County Clerk in 2007.
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Kathy Hochul was prepared to cast a tie-breaking vote on a hostile amendment; with one Republican senator away from Albany on military duty, the Senate Republican Conference and the Senate Democratic conference each had 31 members in the chamber.
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Kathy Hochul presided over the Senate chamber on June 5,2018, when Senate Republicans called for the override of Cuomo's veto of a bill relating to full-day kindergarten classes.
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At a July 2018 rally with Planned Parenthood, Kathy Hochul called upon the Republican-led State Senate to reconvene in Albany to pass the Reproductive Health Act.
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Kathy Hochul asserted that the potential confirmation of then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh made this necessary.
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Kathy Hochul said that New York attorney general Letitia James's report on Cuomo documented "repulsive and unlawful behavior" and praised his decision to resign.
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Kathy Hochul is the first New York governor from outside New York City and its immediate suburbs since 1932.
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Kathy Hochul was the first Democrat to announce a 2022 gubernatorial candidacy after Cuomo said he would resign.
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Kathy Hochul won a full term in office, defeating Republican nominee Lee Zeldin in the closest New York gubernatorial election since 1994 and the closest Democratic victory since 1982.
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Kathy Hochul's election marked the first time a woman was elected governor of New York.
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Delaware North has stated that William Kathy Hochul will be prohibited from working on any matter that involves state business, oversight, or regulation.
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Kathy Hochul appointed Karen Persichilli Keogh to be secretary to the governor and Kathryn Garcia to be director of state operations.
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In November 2021, Kathy Hochul pushed to end remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic and to return workers to offices.
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That same month, Kathy Hochul offered her plans to redevelop Manhattan's Pennsylvania Station and the surrounding neighborhood.
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In December 2021, Kathy Hochul announced the reinstatement of an indoor mask mandate amid the spread of the Omicron variant.
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Also in January 2022, Kathy Hochul confirmed that New York's eviction moratorium would expire on January 15.
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Kathy Hochul announced that she would sign on to a letter with other governors to the federal government asking for more rent assistance, after New York received only $27.2 million of its nearly $1 billion request.
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In March 2022, Kathy Hochul reached an agreement with the Buffalo Bills to have taxpayers pay $850 million for the construction of a new stadium, as well as commit to maintain and repair the stadium.
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On May 3,2022, Kathy Hochul selected US Representative Antonio Delgado to serve as lieutenant governor of New York.
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On June 22,2022, Kathy Hochul announced a $300 million plan to rebuild infrastructure in western New York communities with public and private funding.
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The New York state attorney general and Kathy Hochul are filing an appeal to retain the regulations, and the appeal is being challenged.
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In late 2022, Kathy Hochul delayed the signing of the Digital Fair Repair Act, a bill that received rare bipartisan support.
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On December 28,2022, Kathy Hochul signed the Digital Fair Repair Act into law, but not before adding an amendment that equipment manufacturers "may provide assemblies of parts rather than individual components".
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Kathy Hochul has employed consulting firms Deloitte and Boston Consulting Group in preparing her State of the State address, an arrangement that The New York Times in April 2023 called "unusual, and possibly novel".
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In December 2023, Kathy Hochul vetoed legislation to ban non-compete agreements.
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In February 2024, during the Israeli invasion of Gaza, Kathy Hochul was the keynote speaker at a United Jewish Appeal-Federation of New York event.
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In March 2024, Kathy Hochul instituted a policy in coordination with Eric Adams to deploy 750 National Guard soldiers to the NYC subway system and empower them to conduct random bag checks on subway-goers.
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Kathy Hochul put forth legislation to allow judges to ban criminals from riding the subway.
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In June 2024, Kathy Hochul indefinitely halted implementation of a congestion pricing plan in the most congested parts of Manhattan just weeks before it was to go into effect.
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Kathy Hochul proposed raising the city's payroll tax for business owners to cover the lost revenue from the cancellation of the congestion pricing, which New York lawmakers declined to consider.
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Kathy Hochul's decision received widespread backlash, especially from state lawmakers, business leaders, and climate activists.
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Kathy Hochul defended her sudden decision to block the congestion pricing plan based in part on conversations with New Yorkers, particularly from a Manhattan diner, and claimed that the plan would "suck the vitality out of this city when we're still fighting for our comeback".
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Senator Zellnor Myrie called it "incomprehensible" that Kathy Hochul claimed to care about cost of living while proposing a tax hike.
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In November 2024, Kathy Hochul revived the congestion pricing plan with toll hikes to start at a reduced price of $9; it was implemented on January 5,2025.
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In June 2024, Kathy Hochul proposed banning face masks on the New York City Subway in response to groups of protesters she said were conducting antisemitic acts and confronting people while covering their faces.
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In July 2024, Kathy Hochul said she intends to run for reelection as governor in 2026.
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In September 2024, Kathy Hochul signed The Retail Worker Safety Act.
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In December 2024, Kathy Hochul vetoed a bill sponsored by Senator Joseph Addabbo Jr.
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In January 2025, Kathy Hochul announced a proposal to provide free tuition for specific associate degree programs at State and City University of New York schools.
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In February 2025, Kathy Hochul refused an extradition request from Louisiana for a New York doctor.
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Kathy Hochul acknowledged during her campaign that substantial cuts must be made in the federal budget, and said she would consider cuts in all entitlement programs.
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Kathy Hochul said money could be saved in the Medicare program by eliminating waste and purchasing prescription drugs in bulk, and that the creation of more jobs would alleviate Medicare and Social Security budget shortfalls due to increased collections of payroll taxes.
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On November 19,2011, Brian Tumulty of WGRZ reported that Kathy Hochul had voted for a balanced budget amendment, which she called "a bipartisan solution".
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In July 2023, in response to a statewide workforce shortage, Kathy Hochul waived exam application fees for all New York State civil service exams through the end of 2025 to make it easier to join the state workforce.
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Kathy Hochul expressed support for the Affordable Care Act passed by the 111th Congress and said during her campaign that she would not vote to repeal it.
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Kathy Hochul is a founder of Kathleen Mary House, a transitional home for women and children who are victims of domestic violence.
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Kathy Hochul co-founded the Village Action Coalition, and, as of 2011, was a member of the board of trustees of Immaculata Academy in Hamburg, New York.
76.
In 2024, Kathy Hochul was diagnosed with basal-cell carcinoma, a common form of skin cancer.