Kathy Hochul
About Kathy
Kathy Hochul is the 57th Governor of New York. Since taking office, she has brought a fresh and collaborative approach to governing and is working hard to get results for New Yorkers.
As Governor, Kathy has taken decisive action to deliver immediate relief to working and middle class families and small businesses, beat back the pandemic, and accelerate New York’s economic recovery. In addition, she has reaffirmed New York’s position as a national leader in defending reproductive rights and in combating climate change.
Governor Hochul has also introduced a bold agenda to promote greater equity and expand opportunity for every New Yorker — from making New York more affordable to helping small businesses keep their doors open, strengthening public safety, and leading the fight for justice, dignity, and equality for all.
A lifelong New Yorker, Kathy was born and raised in a blue-collar Irish Catholic family in Buffalo that instilled in her a deep passion for public service. Kathy watched her mother raise six children. And she watched her dad dream big for his family — working in a steel plant by day and getting an education by night.
She took those lessons of courage, risk-taking, and her own fighting spirit to become a student organizer and activist at Syracuse University, and then a young attorney and a legislative assistant to Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan. She continued to pursue public service by serving her local community on the Hamburg Town Board before becoming Erie County Clerk.
In 2011, Kathy was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a proud Democrat in Western New York. In Congress, she was a pivotal vote against efforts to defund Medicare and repeal the Affordable Care Act.
Kathy was elected to statewide office in 2014, and again in 2018, becoming the Lieutenant Governor of New York State. As Lieutenant Governor, she put in the work to represent all New Yorkers — visiting all 62 counties every year and ensuring that every community had a seat at the table.
While she is making history as New York’s first female Governor, Kathy came to Albany to make a difference. She is dedicated to fighting for every single New Yorker and ensuring our State comes back from this pandemic stronger than ever before.