Hochul 1st Dem woman in state history to be nominated for governor

Gov. Kathy Hochul resoundingly won a vote Thursday to become the Democrats’ official designated candidate for governor, becoming the first major-party woman gubernatorial nominee in state history.

The Buffalo Democrat captured 86% of the delegates’ vote at the party’s state convention in Manhattan. It was an outcome that, while not surprising now, was not predicted back in August when Hochul was thrust into the job after Andrew M. Cuomo unexpectedly resigned and she was viewed by some as a caretaker for the job.

In her acceptance speech, Hochul, 63, noted her history-making victory as the "first female nominee for governor" and promised to keep defying expectations.

"While there are those who believe the Democrats are vulnerable this fall. I flatly reject that notion," Hochul told delegates. "When we stand together, we will be unstoppable."

She said she was building a movement "rooted in the core belief that Democratic values are New York values." She also promised a new style, differentiating from Cuomo’s top-down, sledgehammer approach.

"I believe to my core that this party can and should be a powerhouse — not to serve one individual or one governor — but to serve all," Hochul said. "So as governor, and as the leader of the New York State Democratic Party, I’m declaring that a new day has dawned. One grounded in the belief that power and organization must rise from the bottom up, where we reject the old playbook that enabled only a few to succeed while others were left behind."

She promised she would "run with confidence but the tenacity of an underdog."

No other candidate reached the 25% threshold needed to automatically qualify for a primary. But Hochul still might face a challenge: Long Island Rep. Tom Suozzi and New York Public Advocate Jumaane Williams have said they will seek to obtain the 15,000 petition signatures necessary to force a June primary.

Williams, backed by the liberal wing of the party, garnered 12% of the convention vote. He told reporters party leaders have been too interested in protecting the status quo and not listening to a growing progressive wing.

Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) did not submit his name for nomination. He addressed delegates at a breakfast meeting, telling them he was the "common-sense Democrat" who was talking about the issues that really mattered to voters — crime and taxes.

Democrats nominated all their other candidates — all incumbents, unopposed at the convention — by acclimation: Sen. Charles Schumer, Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin, Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli and Attorney General Letitia James.

It was a "coronation," as some put it, featuring Hillary Clinton’s keynote address and a brief protest by activists supporting tenants’ and excluded workers’ rights. Other than that short disruption, everything went Hochul’s way at the Sheraton hotel.

She became New York’s first woman governor when Cuomo resigned Aug. 24, in the face of a fast-moving impeachment process focusing on sexual harassment complaints against the governor, his nursing home policies amid the pandemic and his use of state personnel and resources to write a lucrative memoir.

Potential challengers lined up quickly, including James. But Hochul spearheaded moves to raise $25 million in campaign contributions and secure union and business support. Her poll ratings went up and some challengers fell away.

"When you consider Cuomo staff told her she was getting kicked off the ticket, she’s had the last laugh," said George Arzt, a longtime Democratic consultant, referring to Cuomo planning to find a new running mate in 2022.

"Hochul just went straight ahead toward her goal. She didn’t listen to the noise," Arzt said.

Clinton touched on the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, saying some Republicans are "protecting coup plotters" and "curbing voting rights." She said it’s clear the "struggle for unity and democracy is far from over."

Turning to Hochul, Clinton noted the history of the moment.

"Isn’t it about time that the state that gave birth to suffrage moment … isn’t it about time we elected a woman as governor?" Clinton said to applause.