4 August 2021: Lt. Gov Kathy Hochul Described as "Likeable" in Profile

What to Know About Cuomo’s Potential Successor, Kathy Hochul

Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul has largely been a non-presence throughout the entire Cuomo scandal saga. She would become New York's governor with either Cuomo's resignation or impeachment, but since she's such an unknown, the New York Magazine felt compelled to provide a profile of her.

Since joining the Cuomo administration, Hochul has been its road warrior, including during the pandemic. Much of that has been fulfilling the traditional duties of any lieutenant governor: being a spokesperson and defender for the governor’s office and its priorities, as well as the state’s chief ribbon-cutter....

She has famously made a point of visiting every county in the state (by car) each year she has served as lieutenant governor, is reportedly partial to drop-ins at diners to talk with locals, and didn’t let up on her in-person style of politics during the pandemic — often traveling to attend virtual events in various parts of the state rather than logging in for them from Albany. From March to the end of last year, she still made it to every county, gave more than 500 interviews, and was particularly focused on the administration’s pandemic response in western New York.

That being said, Cuomo has reportedly never really included Hochul in his inner circle, including during the pandemic. (She was only ever at one of all those daily press conferences Cuomo held, and he notably neglected to even mention her in his mid-pandemic memoir.)

If you continue reading the profile, you'll discover she is often described as "likeable" despite her lack of visible leadership during the biggest crisis New York faced during her tenure in office.