On MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” last month, a panelist asked New York Gov. Kathy Hochul how schools will handle the wave of migrants coming to New York City with their children.
“I’m a mother,” Hochul said. “This is personal to me.”
The same was true when she cut the ribbon on a childcare facility on Long Island in August.
“This is personal to me as a brand new governor,” the Democratic governor said.
And in July, when Hochul announced a new round of funding for grants to spruce up downtown areas in upstate cities?
“I cut my teeth and ran for office in one of those communities that we always felt were overlooked,” she said. “So this is personal to me.”
As New York’s first female governor and the first to hail from outside the New York City metropolitan area in a century, Hochul’s background is unique compared to any other governor in the history of the Empire State.
Hochul, a former lieutenant governor, was thrust into the governor’s mansion two years ago after her predecessor Andrew Cuomo resigned following allegations of sexual harassment. Cuomo denies the accusations.
The Buffalo native, who previously served for a single term in the House, found herself having to introduce herself to New Yorkers who were largely unfamiliar with her, according to political observers, particularly in New York City and its surrounding suburbs.
“I think she’s still, in many ways, introducing herself to New Yorkers,” said Christina Greer, a political science professor at Fordham University. “It’s not like she’s from a family like the Cuomos. She didn’t have a very large media profile, even though she was a member of Congress and worked for [former Sen.] Daniel Patrick Moynihan.”
“She’s had a very storied career in public service, but most people didn’t know her when she was appointed governor,” Greer added.
Like any skilled politician, Hochul frequently makes a point of highlighting her lived experience as a way of trying to connect with a crowd.
Since she took…
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