ALBANY, N.Y. — Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul has confirmed that she plans to seek a full term as governor in 2022.
“Yes I will,” the incoming governor of New York said when asked on "Today" whether she’ll run.
“I fully expect to. I’ve prepared for this, I’ve led a life working in every level of government from Congress to local government, I am the most prepared person to assume this responsibility, and I’m going to ask the voters at some point for their faith in me again,” Hochul said.
“But right now, I need their faith and their prayers and I need their support to make sure we get this right, and I’m confident they’ll see that I fight like hell every single day," she added.
Hochul is due to take over for Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Aug. 24 to finish a term that concludes at the end of 2022.
Her Thursday morning interview was her first sit-down appearance on a national outlet since Cuomo announced his plans to resign on Tuesday.
Hochul was asked several times about masks in schools. She said she believes “that there’ll end up being mask mandates,” but refused to commit to that idea or discuss details until she actually becomes governor.
“These decisions that I’m talking about today are my opinion today, [they] may have no bearing if this variant spirals out of control,” she said. “We’ll be flexible — there will not be a decision made now that may even hold in a couple of weeks.”
The incoming governor said she would be meeting with Health Commissioner Howard Zucker “in a couple of hours” to discuss data on the pandemic.