It’s not just a boys’ club anymore. Months after getting its first female governor, New York now has two prominent women running to lead the state in the wake of Andrew Cuomo’s resignation in August amid allegations he harassed women. Both candidates in next year’s race — Gov. Kathy Hochul and her newly declared challenger, state Attorney General Letitia James — each had a key role surrounding Cuomo’s resignation, as well as their own histories of breaking barriers and finding political opportunities in the wake of misbehaving male politicians. James, whose office investigated the allegations against Cuomo, officially jumped into the gubernatorial race Friday, setting her up as the strongest challenger for Hochul, a fellow Democrat who is seeking to win the office herself after taking over for Cuomo. Either would be the first women elected to a post that, prior to Cuomo’s resignation, men had held exclusively for 240 years. James, 63, is the first woman elected as New York’s attorney general and the first Black person to serve in the role, where she repeatedly challenged former President Donald Trump’s administration and oversaw an investigation that led to criminal charges against his company and its chief financial officer. “I’ve sued the Trump administration 76 times. But who’s counting?” James said in her campaign kickoff video Friday, making a playful shrug of her shoulders as she looked into the camera. The Brooklyn progressive has also mounted legal challenges against the National Rifle Association, but her office’s investigation into the allegations involving Cuomo had perhaps the biggest impact on her political future. A sweeping report issued by her office concluded the 11 women who accused Cuomo of harassment were credible. Though Cuomo denies mistreating women, he resigned, saying he wanted to avoid putting the state through turmoil. With Cuomo out of the running in New York — at least for now — a number of rising Democrats are eyeing next year’s race, with James and Hochul leading the pack. New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio have both said they are considering a run. Two other potential Democratic candidates come from Long Island: Suffolk County executive Steve Bellone and U.S. Rep. Thomas Suozzi, who lives in Nassau County. Hochul, who had been Cuomo’s lieutenant governor, has stressed how her duties kept her separate from him. Since she was sworn into the governor’s mansion, the 63-year-old quickly worked to set a different tone from her former running mate, promising transparency and ethics reforms. Both women gave a nod to their history-breaking roles on Friday. Hochul, speaking to Democratic power players at a breakfast in Brooklyn, said she felt “the weight of history” on her shoulders to show a woman could govern New York “with strength, with heart and passion.” “When I’m done with my terms, no one will ever question the ability of a woman to hold the highest office in this state or in this land,” Hochul said. James, in a fundraising appeal to supporters shortly after announcing her campaign, said too many people tried to count her out and write her off as a statistic when she was a Black girl growing up in Brooklyn. “Then I made history by becoming the first Black woman to be elected to a statewide office […]

The post 2 Women Running For Governor, History In Post-Cuomo New York appeared first on The Yeshiva World.