New York Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul said she is prepared to lead the state once Governor Cuomo officially steps down in 14 days. She will become the first woman to serve as governor. She said Cuomo did the right thing by stepping aside.
State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said he and his office are “standing by” to assist Hochul as she takes the reins as the state’s 57th governor.
Democratic Congressman Tom Suozzi of Long Island praised Cuomo’s record in rebuilding the state’s infrastructure, instituting the 15-dollar-an-hour minimum wage, and fighting COVID, but said he did the right thing by resigning.
Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said Cuomo’s decision will allow New York to “refocus on the business of the people.”
Long Island Congressman Lee Zeldin, the presumptive Republican nominee for next year’s Governor’s race, has blasted both Cuomo and Lieutenant Governor Hochul.
In a statement, he said Cuomo is resigning to “skirt all repercussions for his actions.”
Zeldin said that Hochul “empowered” his behavior by remaining silent in what he called “scandal after scandal.”
