“This day belongs to the girls, the young women who will grow up knowing that from this day forward there are no real barriers they can’t overcome,” Kathy Hochul stated after being sworn in by New York State NAACP president Hazel Dukes.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul was sworn in for a full term on January 1st, becoming the state's first elected female governor, per the New York Post.
In her inaugural address as New York's 57th governor, the Democrat, 64, stated her goals as increasing public safety and making the state more affordable.
She promised to fight against gun violence, anti-Semitism, and other bigotry over the next four years, as well as recent US Supreme Court decisions.
She also promised to defend the right to choose abortion, marriage, and voting, as well as to boost the economy.
Hochul, a native of Buffalo, defeated Republican congressman Lee Zeldin in November's election to take over the office that former Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned from in 2021 in the wake of multiple sexual harassment claims.
During her tenure as governor, New York enacted some of the nation's strictest gun laws, some of which are being challenged in court.
Hochul's narrow victory margin, however, demonstrates that New Yorkers are divided as they seek solutions to high taxes, crime, a growing mental health crisis, a migrant surge, and a potential nurses strike on the horizon.
Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado, Attorney General Letitia James, and Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli were also sworn in.
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