Kathy Hochul facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kathy Hochul
Hochul in 2024
57th Governor of New York
Incumbent
Assumed office August 24, 2021
Lieutenant	Andrea Stewart-Cousins (acting) Brian Benjamin Andrea Stewart-Cousins (acting) Antonio Delgado
Preceded by	Andrew Cuomo
Lieutenant Governor of New York
In office January 1, 2015 – August 23, 2021
Governor	Andrew Cuomo
Preceded by	Robert Duffy
Succeeded by	Andrea Stewart-Cousins (acting)
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 26th district
In office June 1, 2011 – January 3, 2013
Preceded by	Chris Lee
Succeeded by	Chris Collins (redistricting)
8th Clerk of Erie County
In office April 10, 2007 – June 1, 2011
Preceded by	David Swarts
Succeeded by	Chris Jacobs
Member of the Hamburg Town Board
In office January 3, 1994 – April 10, 2007
Preceded by	Patrick Hoak
Succeeded by	Richard Smith
Personal details
Born	Kathleen Courtney (1958-08-27) August 27, 1958 (age 66) Buffalo, New York, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Bill Hochul ​ (m. 1984)​
Children	2
Residence	New York Executive Mansion
Education	Syracuse University (BA) Catholic University (JD)
Signature

Kathleen Hochul ( HOH-kəl; née Courtney; born August 27, 1958) is an American politician and lawyer who has served since August 2021 as the 57th governor of New York. She is New York's first female governor.

Early life and education

Hochul was born Kathleen Courtney in Buffalo, New York, the second of the six children of John P. "Jack" Courtney, then a college student and clerical worker, and Patricia Ann "Pat" (Rochford) Courtney, a homemaker. The family struggled financially during Hochul's early years and for a time lived in a trailer near a steel plant. By the time Hochul was in college, however, her father was working for the information technology company he later headed. Her family is of Irish Catholic descent.

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. Hochul successfully lobbied the university to divest from apartheid South Africa. In the spring of 1979, the student newspaper The Daily Orange awarded her an "A", citing the campus changes as evidence for the grade. She 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, D.C., in 1984.

Early political career

After graduation from law school, Hochul began working for a Washington, D.C., law firm, but she found the work unsatisfying. She then worked as legal counsel and legislative assistant to U.S. Representative John LaFalce and U.S. Senator Daniel Moynihan, and also for the New York State Assembly, before seeking elected office.

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. On January 3, 1994, the Hamburg Town Board voted to appoint her to the vacant seat on the board caused by Patrick H. Hoak's resignation to become town supervisor. She was elected to a full term in November 1994, on the Democratic and Conservative lines, and was reelected in 1998, 2002, and 2006. She resigned on April 10, 2007, and was succeeded by former state assemblymember Richard A. Smith. While on the board, she led efforts to remove toll booths on parts of the New York State Thruway system.

In May 2003, Erie County Clerk David Swarts appointed Hochul as his deputy. Governor Eliot Spitzer named Swarts to his administration in January 2007 and appointed Hochul to succeed Swarts as county clerk in April 2007. In an intervention that raised her statewide profile, she opposed Spitzer's proposal to allow undocumented immigrants to apply for a driver's license without producing a social security card, and said that if the proposal went into effect she would seek to have any such applicants arrested. She was elected later in 2007 to fill the remainder of Swarts's term. She 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.

Following Hochul's departure as county clerk, a backlog of mail was discovered by newly elected County Clerk Chris Jacobs, who later said that $792,571 in checks were found in the backlogged mail. As county clerk, Hochul had been in the process of implementing a new system for handling real estate documents when she left after being elected to Congress. Jacobs said that $9,000 were spent in overtime to deposit checks and file unopened documents that had accumulated in the interim period after Hochul's departure, while the office was adjusting to the new system.

U.S. House of Representatives (2011–2013)

Hochul with President Barack Obama, following her 2011 election to represent New York's 26th district

Hochul during the 112th Congress, 2011

In Hochul's first few weeks in office, she co-sponsored bills with Brian Higgins to streamline the passport acquisition process. She also 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. She 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. She also spoke with Obama about ending tax breaks for oil companies and protecting small businesses.

While campaigning for Congress, Hochul called herself an "independent Democrat". In an interview with the Lockport Union-Sun & Journal, she cited as examples of her independence her opposition to then-Governor Eliot Spitzer's driver's license program for undocumented immigrants and her opposition to then-Governor David Paterson's 2010 proposal to raise revenue by requiring all vehicle owners to buy new license plates.

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. Later in 2012, Hochul "trumpeted" her endorsement by the NRA and noted that she was just one of two New York Democrats to receive its support.

Committee assignments

• Committee on Armed Services
• Committee on Homeland Security
  • Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence
  • Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications

Lieutenant governor of New York (2015–2021)

Hochul with assembly majority leader Joseph Morelle at the 2014 Labor Day parade in Rochester, New York

After her departure from Congress, Hochul worked as a government relations executive for the Buffalo-based M&T Bank.

In 2014, Robert Duffy announced that he would not run for reelection as lieutenant governor. Incumbent Governor Cuomo was running for a second term. After Duffy's announcement, Cuomo named Hochul as his choice for lieutenant governor. On May 22, 2014, the delegates to the state Democratic convention formally endorsed Hochul for lieutenant governor.

In September, Cuomo and Hochul won their Democratic primary elections, with Hochul defeating Timothy Wu. They were also the Working Families Party nominees. (In New York, candidates for governor and lieutenant governor are nominated separately, but run as a ticket in the general election.) In November, the Cuomo/Hochul ticket won the general election. Hochul was sworn in as lieutenant governor on January 1, 2015.

Cuomo tasked Hochul with chairing the 10 regional economic development councils that are the centerpiece of the administration's economic development plan. The councils' goal is to build upon the strengths of each region to develop individualized long-term strategic plans.

In 2018, Hochul supported legislation to provide driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants, which she had opposed as Erie County Clerk in 2007. While Hochul had said in 2007 that she would seek to have any such applicants arrested if the proposal was implemented, in 2018 she said circumstances had changed.

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. The override passed by a large margin, and was the first veto override to occur during Cuomo's gubernatorial tenure.

In July 2018, Hochul called upon the Republican-led State Senate to reconvene in Albany to pass the Reproductive Health Act. She asserted that the potential confirmation of then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh made this necessary. The Act was reintroduced in January 2019 and passed the same month with wide margins in the state House and Senate.

Governor of New York (2021–present)

Hochul being sworn in as Governor of New York on August 24, 2021

In a press briefing on August 10, 2021, Andrew Cuomo announced his resignation as governor, effective August 24. Hochul was sworn in as governor at 12:00 AM Eastern Time (ET) on August 24. She is the state's first female governor.

Hochul discussing East Side Access in October 2021

In November 2021, Hochul pushed to end remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic and to return workers to offices. That same month, Hochul offered her plans to redevelop Manhattan's Pennsylvania Station and the surrounding neighborhood. In her plans, she called for reducing density in the area.

In December 2021, Hochul announced the reinstatement of an indoor mask mandate amid the spread of the Omicron variant.

In January 2022, she expanded an existing vaccine mandate for healthcare workers to include a booster shot requirement. Also in January 2022, Hochul confirmed that New York's eviction moratorium would expire on January 15. She 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. Tenant advocates and other politicians have pushed her and state lawmakers to pass the Good Cause eviction bill, which would give tenants the right to a lease renewal in most cases, cap rent increases, and require landlords to obtain a judge's order to evict tenants.

In March 2022, 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. It was set to be the largest taxpayer contribution ever for a National Football League facility. The agreement was released four days before the state budget was due to be passed, making it hard for lawmakers to scrutinize it.

On June 22, 2022, Hochul announced a $300 million plan to rebuild infrastructure in western New York communities with public and private funding.

In June 2024, 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. The plan was approved in 2019 and was expected to bring in $1 billion in revenue per year, making it the MTA's largest source of funding. At the time of the cancellation, the MTA had already purchased $500 million for equipment needed for congestion pricing and earmarked $15 billion for projects it expected to fund with the revenue. 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. Her decision received widespread backlash, especially among state lawmakers, business leaders, and climate activists. In November 2024, Hochul revived the congestion pricing plan with toll hikes to start at a reduced price of $9; it is set to be implemented on January 5, 2025.

In July 2024, Hochul said that she intends to run for reelection as governor in 2026.

Political views

Trade

On September 17, 2011, Robert J. McCarthy noted that Hochul and her election opponent Jack Davis agreed on their opposition to free trade. "We saw what happened with NAFTA; the promises never materialized," she said of the North American Free Trade Agreement. "If I have to stand up to my own party on this, I'm willing to do so."

Energy

During her congressional campaign, Hochul favored offering incentives to develop alternative energy.

In June 2011, Hochul opposed legislation that would cut funding for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) by 44%, on the grounds that the CFTC curbs speculation in oil and the resulting layoffs of CFTC personnel would "make it easier for Big Oil companies and speculators to take advantage of ... consumers".

Fiscal issues

While running for Congress, Hochul supported raising taxes on those making more than $500,000 per year. She opposed new free trade agreements then under consideration, saying, "We don't need to look any further than Western New York to see that these policies do not work." She believes that free trade agreements such as NAFTA and CAFTA have suppressed U.S. wages and benefits and caused job loss in the U.S.

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. But she expressed opposition to the Republican plan that would turn Medicare into a voucher system, saying it "would end Medicare as we know it". She 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.

On November 19, 2011, Brian Tumulty of WGRZ reported that Hochul had voted for a balanced budget amendment, which she called "a bipartisan solution".

In July 2023, in response to a statewide workforce shortage, 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.

Health care

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.

Immigration

In 2023, Hochul advocated that the federal government expedite work permits to migrants to address a surge of immigration to New York, writing to President Joe Biden, "For me, the answer to these two crises—a humanitarian crisis and our workforce crisis—is so crystal clear and common sense. Let them get the work authorizations; let them work; legally, let them work."

Personal life

Kathy Hochul with her husband William J. Hochul Jr. and Vice President Kamala Harris in September 2023

Hochul is married to William J. Hochul Jr., the former United States Attorney for the Western District of New York, who is also the senior vice president, general counsel, and secretary to Delaware North, a hospitality and gambling company. They have two children. Hochul is Catholic.

Hochul is a founder of Kathleen Mary House, a transitional home for women and children who are victims of domestic violence. She has served on the organization's board. She also 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.

In 2024, Hochul was diagnosed with basal-cell carcinoma, a common form of skin cancer.

Electoral history

See also

In Spanish: Kathy Hochul para niños

• List of current United States governors
• List of female governors in the United States
• List of female lieutenant governors in the United States
• Women in the United States House of Representatives