Hochul cruises to Democratic nod for governor: 'A whole new day is dawning'

NEW YORK — Declaring a new beginning for Democrats in New York and the state as a whole, Gov. Kathy Hochul was easily picked Thursday as the party's standard bearer for the 2022 race for governor after taking office a mere six months ago after the resignation of Andrew Cuomo in scandal.

Hochul, who had already shored up massive levels of support from local and statewide Democratic leadership and holds more than $21 million in her campaign warchest, earned 85.6 percent of the weighted vote at the convention near Times Square.

She responded in a buoyant speech that often was interrupted by both cheers of “Kath-y, Kath-y” and “Si se puede” from allies in labor, as well as disrupters who evaded ballroom security long enough to shout that Hochul was not doing enough to protect undocumented immigrants and vulnerable tenants.

Hochul said she accepted “with a heart full of gratitude and humility,” promising not to take the pary's support for granted as she strives for a more inclusive state party that will “rise from the bottom up.”

“I believe to my core that this party can and should be a powerhouse — not to serve one individual, not to serve the governor — but to serve all,” she said. “So as governor, and leader of this party, I’m declaring a whole new day is dawning.”

The vote was preceded by hours of praise from the state’s top leaders for the work the state’s first woman governor has done since she took office after Cuomo resigned in disgrace last August.

“I can tell you something everybody is learning: No one will work harder for the people of the Empire State,” former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, also a former New York senator and first lady who lives in Chappaqua, Westchester County, said in a speech introducing Hochul.

“Every county, every community: She is a governor for all of us. Isn’t it about time the state that gave birth to the women's suffrage movement — the state that has always been at the forefront of progress and reform — isn’t it about time we elect a woman as our governor?”

The "most important" thing about Kathy Hochul is that: “She’s a nice person,” party Chair Jay Jacobs said earlier in the day. “She cares about people. She listens.”

Hochul, Jacobs said, is “someone who did not expect to be our governor but when she became our governor, she met the challenges; she did what had to be done. She stood with courage and she took this state in the direction it needed to go.”

Hochul's rise has been fueled by a confluence of wild circumstances and political grind: Cuomo’s resignation amid sexual harassment scandal, Attorney General Tish James’ surprising departure from the race to instead run for reelection; enough state money to offer good news to voters and other electeds across all regions and sectors; and years of breakneck travel building relationships across the state.

She will likely still face primary challenges from Long Island Rep. Tom Suozzi and New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, both of whom attended the convention, though only Williams officially participated in the nomination process.

Williams earned 12.5 percent of the weighted vote on Thursday, though he was actively working to achieve the 25 percent needed to automatically get on the ballot for the June primary. Both are expected to work the alternate method of gathering the 15,000 signatures to get on the ballot for the June primary.

Hochul’s running mate, Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin, had an even smoother path to receiving the party’s backing. While Suozzi chose former NYC City Councilmember Diana Reyna as a running mate on Wednesday, her name did not go forward at the convention, and Benjamin was the sole candidate.

In her acceptance speech, Hochul urged unity heading into this year’s midterm elections after party fractures and strong Republican showings in some parts of the state served Democrats a handful of bitter defeats in 2021.

“What is the greatest threat to the Republican Party? What is their biggest nightmare? A united Democratic Party," she said. "Even on the issues we don’t agree, when it comes to election time, we cannot allow ourselves to become divided.”

Though her path to reelection has gained strength, Hochul vowed to remain vigilant through the primary campaign and, if she wins, in November as she would face whomever wins the Republican primary between Long Island Rep. Lee Zeldin, Andrew Giuliani or former Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino.

Hochul's playbook has always been to run with confidence, but with the mindset of an underdog, she likes to say.

“You take nothing for granted and you fight until the last second,” she said. “And to win, you have to demonstrate that Democrats will deliver.”