Kathy Hochul, née Courtney, was born on August 27, 1958, in Woodlawn, a Buffalo-area community in Western New York [1].

Kathy Hochul, née Courtney, was born on August 27, 1958, in Woodlawn, a Buffalo-area community in Western New York [1]. She graduated from Syracuse University with a bachelor's degree in political science in 1980, then completed her law degree at Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law in Washington, D.C. in 1983 [2, 3].

After earning her law degree, Hochul took a job at a law firm in Washington before shifting to Capitol Hill, working as an aide for U.S.

After earning her law degree, Hochul took a job at a law firm in Washington before shifting to Capitol Hill, working as an aide for U.S. Rep. John LaFalce and for U.S. Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan [3]. By 1991, she and her husband, William J. Hochul Jr., had two young children, William III and Caitlin, and the family had decided to move back to New York, settling in Hamburg in Erie County. Her husband became a federal prosecutor, eventually rising to the rank of U.S. attorney, and Hochul became a stay-at-home mother [3].

During that period, she took a public speaking course, which she has said helped "transform" her life and her ability to speak impromptu [3].

Hochul's political career started on the Hamburg Town Board in 1994 [2].

Hochul's political career started on the Hamburg Town Board in 1994 [2]. She served on the board for 13 years through 2007, then became Deputy County Clerk of Erie County from 2003 to 2007 [2]. In 2007, she was elected Clerk of Erie County, serving from 2007 to 2011 [4, 2].

In May 2011, Hochul won a special election for New York's 26th congressional district to fill the seat left vacant by Rep.

In May 2011, Hochul won a special election for New York's 26th congressional district to fill the seat left vacant by Rep. Chris Lee's resignation. She served from 2011 to 2013, sitting on the House Armed Services and Homeland Security Committees and traveling to Afghanistan to confer with military leaders [5]. In November 2012, after redistricting, she narrowly lost re-election to Republican Chris Collins, 50.8 percent to 49.2 percent [4].

After leaving Congress, Hochul worked as Group Vice President for Strategic Relationships at M&T Bank, serving as liaison for community matters and significant economic development projects [5].

In 2014, Andrew Cuomo selected Hochul as his running mate for his second term as governor.

In 2014, Andrew Cuomo selected Hochul as his running mate for his second term as governor. They won that November, and she was sworn in as the 77th Lieutenant Governor of New York in January 2015 [4]. She and Cuomo were re-elected in 2018 after Hochul defeated NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams in the Democratic primary [4].

As Lieutenant Governor, she chaired the statewide Regional Economic Development Councils, served as co-chair of the state's Heroin and Opioid Task Force and the Child Care Availability Task Force, and championed the "Enough is Enough" law to prevent sexual assault on college campuses [6]. She also helped New York State manage its COVID-19 pandemic response, while focusing on what she described as an inclusive recovery [6].

She and Cuomo had what she has described as a formal professional relationship. She told NY1 in 2021 that it was "no secret that the governor and I were not close" and that Cuomo had his own tight inner circle [3].

On August 24, 2021, Hochul was sworn in as the 57th Governor of New York and the state's first female governor, taking office following the resignation of Andrew Cuomo amid sexual

On August 24, 2021, Hochul was sworn in as the 57th Governor of New York and the state's first female governor, taking office following the resignation of Andrew Cuomo amid sexual harassment allegations [4].

On August 26, 2021, two days after becoming governor, Hochul appointed state Senator Brian Benjamin as her lieutenant governor. Benjamin was sworn in on September 9, 2021 [7].

In April 2022, Hochul orchestrated a $1.4 billion deal for a new Buffalo Bills stadium that included $850 million in direct construction subsidies from New York State and Erie County, the largest direct public subsidy for an NFL stadium at the time [8]. Most of the state's $600 million share came from a delayed casino-related payment from the Seneca Nation [9].

On April 12, 2022, Benjamin resigned as lieutenant governor after being indicted on federal bribery, conspiracy, wire fraud, and falsification of records charges related to his time as a state senator [10, 11]. Hochul accepted his resignation immediately. The charges against Benjamin were initially dismissed in December 2022, reinstated by the Second Circuit in March 2024, and ultimately dropped in January 2025 following the death of a key co-conspirator witness [7].

In June 2022, Hochul won the Democratic primary in a three-way race against U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi and NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams [12]. On November 8, 2022, she won the general election against Republican U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin, 52.4 percent to 46.8 percent, becoming the first woman elected governor of New York [13]. Her current term ends on January 1, 2027 [4].

In her January 2024 State of the State speech, Hochul pivoted toward moderate framing in the lead-up to the congressional midterms, declaring that New York "will never compromise o

In her January 2024 State of the State speech, Hochul pivoted toward moderate framing in the lead-up to the congressional midterms, declaring that New York "will never compromise on our progressive values" while emphasizing public safety and stepping back from the more ambitious housing proposals that had characterized her 2023 agenda [14].

On June 5, 2024, weeks before New York City's congestion pricing program was set to begin on June 30, Hochul announced an "indefinite pause" on the $15 tolling plan, blowing a $15 billion hole in the MTA's 2020–2024 capital program [15, 16]. After the November 2024 election, on November 14, 2024, she revived the program at a reduced $9 base toll, with implementation set for January 5, 2025 [17]. The toll launched on schedule [18].

In February 2025, the Trump administration's Department of Transportation moved to terminate congestion pricing. Hochul vowed to fight in court, and her administration's MTA filed suit within minutes of receiving the federal letter [18].

On September 14, 2025, Hochul endorsed Zohran Mamdani for New York City mayor in a New York Times op-ed, becoming the first major statewide elected Democrat to do so.

On September 14, 2025, Hochul endorsed Zohran Mamdani for New York City mayor in a New York Times op-ed, becoming the first major statewide elected Democrat to do so. The endorsement came months after Mamdani won the Democratic primary [19]. The decision drew sharp criticism from some pro-Israel Democrats and Republicans, including U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, expected to be a leading challenger in Hochul's 2026 re-election race [19].

On October 26, 2025, Hochul appeared on stage with Mamdani at the closing stretch of the "New York Is Not For Sale" rally at Forest Hills Stadium [20]. In December 2025, after Mamdani's election but before his inauguration, Hochul publicly distanced herself from his positions on Israel, declining to support his pledge to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and reaffirming her pro-Israel positioning [21].

Hochul is up for re-election in November 2026.

Hochul is up for re-election in November 2026. Stefanik is widely expected to be a leading Republican challenger [19]. As of April 2026, Hochul remained focused on the congestion pricing legal fight and continuing tensions with the Trump administration over federal funding for New York. The remaining federal lawsuits over the 2024 congestion pricing pause were also still in motion [15].