New York Governor Kathy Hochul was sworn in for her first elected term on Sunday, making history as the first woman elected to the position in the state.
The US Democrat, launching her term as the 57th governor of New York, said her goals were to increase public safety and to make the state more affordable.
“Right now there are some fights we have to take on,” Hochul said after taking the oath of office at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center in Albany. “First we must and will make our streets safer.”
Photo: AFP
Hochul also called for making the state more affordable, citing the high cost of living. Also sworn in on Sunday was New York Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado.
A native of Buffalo, Hochul, 64, defeated Republican US Representative Lee Zeldin, an ally of former US president Donald Trump, in November’s election to win the office that she took over in 2021 when former New York governor Andrew Cuomo resigned.
A former congresswoman, she served as Cuomo’s lieutenant governor before taking over in August 2021 and has tried to cast herself as a fresh start from Cuomo. He resigned amid sexual harassment allegations, which he denies.
New York Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer described her November victory as “breaking the glass ceiling.”
During her time as governor, New York passed some of the strictest gun laws in the nation, some of which are experiencing court challenges.
Delgado, a former Democratic US representative who identifies as Afro-Latino, took over the position as lieutenant governor in May after Brian Benjamin resigned, and said he could not “wait to get down to business” of “transparent” and “accountable” government.
New York Attorney General Letitia James, 64, also took oath on Sunday for her second elected term in the position. She made history in 2018 as the first woman elected as the state’s attorney general and the first black person to serve in the role.
“Four years ago I made a commitment to make this office a force of justice. I promise to fight for all New Yorkers, regardless of your political affiliation,” James said.
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