Meet Kathy
Kathy Hochul is the first mom Governor of New York.
As Governor, Kathy has taken decisive action to put money back in people’s pockets, lower costs, and invest in keeping our communities safe. She sent inflation refund checks to over 8 million New Yorkers, secured universal free school meals for all students, tripled the child tax credit, made historic middle-class tax cuts, banned cell phones during school hours, and enacted landmark gun safety legislation. She is also working to deliver universal child care and fighting like hell to defend New Yorkers from Trump’s attacks.
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 kids and her father work in a steel plant by day and get an education by night.
Kathy took those lessons of courage, risk-taking, and discipline to become a student organizer and leader at Syracuse University, a young attorney, and a legislative assistant to Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan. She began her career in public service on her local Hamburg Town Board and then as the Erie County Clerk. In 2011, Kathy won an upset special election in one of the most Republican districts in New York and became a Member of Congress for NY-26. In 2014, Kathy was elected to statewide office as Lieutenant Governor.
She was then sworn into office as Governor in 2021 and elected statewide in 2022 for a full term. Since taking office, Kathy has been committed to fighting for New York families. She is fighting to lower costs, invest in public safety, and stand up to Trump.
The Governor leads the state government. The Governor signs or vetoes bills passed by the legislature, proposes the state budget, appoints agency heads and, in many states, judges, and commands the state's National Guard. In most states the Governor can also grant pardons.