Biography
Kathy Hochul is the Governor of New York and is seeking a second full term with Adrienne Adams as her running mate.[1][7] An attorney and former congressional aide, she moved from the Hamburg Town Board and the Erie County Clerk's office to Congress and then the lieutenant governorship, and became governor in August 2021 when Andrew Cuomo resigned.[1][6][7] As governor she paused and then restarted congestion pricing at a reduced toll and signed budgets that extended the state's higher tax rate on top earners.[2][3][4][5]
Hochul was born in Buffalo, New York, in 1958, and her official biography describes her as born and raised in Western New York.[1][6][7] She earned a B.A. from Syracuse University in 1980 and a J.D. from Catholic University of America in 1983.[1][7] She worked as an attorney in private practice and as an aide to Rep. John LaFalce (1984–1986) and Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan (1986–1988).[1][7]
Hochul began her public service on the Hamburg Town Board, to which she was appointed in January 1994 and on which she served until 2007.[6][7] She was Deputy Clerk of Erie County from 2003 to 2007 and then Clerk from 2007 to 2011, having been appointed to the post in 2007 and elected to it in November 2007 and again in 2010.[1][7] In May 2011 she won a special election to represent New York's 26th Congressional District and served in the U.S. House until 2013; she lost re-election in 2012 to Chris Collins, 50.8% to 49.2%.[1][7]
Hochul was elected Lieutenant Governor of New York as Andrew Cuomo's running mate in 2014 and 2018 and served from 2015 to 2021; her official biography says she chaired the statewide Regional Economic Development Councils in that role.[1][6] She became the 57th Governor of New York on August 24, 2021, upon Cuomo's resignation, the first woman to hold the office, and won a full term in 2022, defeating Lee Zeldin.[1][6][7] She is the Democratic and Working Families Party candidate in the November 3, 2026 general election.[1] According to her official biography, she and her husband, Bill Hochul, have two children and two granddaughters.[6]
- 1.Kathy Hochul · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
- 2.What They Are Saying: Governor Hochul Announces Pause on Congestion Pricing to Address the Rising Cost of Living in New York · Office of Governor Kathy Hochul · 2024-06-05 Official record
- 3.Putting Commuters First, Keeping Costs Down: Governor Hochul Unveils Plans for Future of Transit and Traffic in New York City, Including a 40 Percent Reduction in Congestion Pricing Tolls · Office of Governor Kathy Hochul · 2024-11-14 Official record
- 4.Governor Hochul Signs Budget That Makes New York More Affordable, Keeps New Yorkers Safe and Expands Opportunity for All · Office of Governor Kathy Hochul · 2026-05-28 Official record
- 5.Governor Hochul Announces Agreement on FY 2026 State Budget · Office of Governor Kathy Hochul · 2025-04-28 Official record
- 6.About Governor Hochul · Office of the Governor of New York Official record
- 7.Kathy Hochul · Wikipedia · 2026-10-21 Reference
Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21.