Governor Kathy Hochul Election Night Remarks As Delivered
Governor Kathy Hochul Election Night Remarks As Delivered
Thank you to everyone in the room here and everyone who made tonight possible.
My running mate Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado.
New York State Party Chairman Jay Jacobs.
Senator Chuck Schumer and Attorney General Letitia James.
State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli and our Congressional delegation, partners in the state legislature, and Speaker Carl Heastie and Majority Leader Andrea Stewart Cousins.
My extraordinary executive chamber team led by Karen Persichilli Keogh and Stacy Lynch.
My incredible campaign team led by Brian Lenzmeier and Adam Sullivan.
The thousands of volunteers who knocked on doors and made phone calls.
Our friends in organized labor who stood tall in support of us and our mission.
Everyone. Thank you all so much!
But most importantly, I thank my family for their enduring belief in me.
To New York’s first First Gentleman, my husband Bill, whose love and support is the wind beneath my wings.
And our children Will and Katie, and their spouses Christina and Matt, who have endured my absences with nothing but love and understanding.
To my dad and late mother, whose inspiration led me to a life of public service.
And lastly, to my five siblings, and only sister Sheila, who has a special way of keeping me humble. I love you all.
But tonight, I want to talk directly to New Yorkers.
Tonight, you made your voices heard loud and clear.
You made me the first woman ever elected as Governor of this extraordinary State.
But I’m not here to make history. I’m here to make a difference.
Because of you, we will keep making progress – breaking down barriers…breaking glass ceilings, helping New York achieve the greatness it is capable of.
And I will lead with strength and compassion, not anger and fear.
Together, we will ensure our values are put to work to lift up all and leave no one behind.
Building a state where we can afford to raise our families.
Where we create good paying jobs in the industries of tomorrow – from Long Island to NYC, to Syracuse to Buffalo.
Where we expand safe, decent housing for all.
Where our kids succeed in school and reach their full potential.
Where we live without fear, safe in our neighborhoods and our subways with illegal guns off our street.
Where our fundamental rights are protected and women can make decisions about our own bodies.
New Yorkers… I will never take for granted the trust you’ve placed in me.
The road from Buffalo to this place wasn’t easy.
My parents started married life in a trailer park, but through hard work and education rose up from their circumstances.
They raised me in a social justice Catholic family which sparked my passion to fight for change and to improve the lives of others.
That’s why as a young Mom, I ran for office, being elected to every level of government—local, state and federal.
And when I had the honor of my lifetime, becoming the first woman to lead this state, I felt the weight on my shoulders to make sure every little girl and every woman who has banged up against ceilings all her life would know that a woman CAN be elected in her own right and successfully govern a state as rough and tumble as New York.
Yes, the glass ceiling like, the one above us, was shattered tonight in the State of New York. And you, my friends, made it happen.
In closing, the lesson of tonight’s victory is that given the choice, New Yorkers refused to go backwards in our long march toward progress.
That we embrace the torch that has been passed to us from those who fought the good fights before our time.
In so doing, we commit to making it glow even brighter before we pass it to the next generation.
We’ve achieved much in just over a year. Now, I ask all New Yorkers to join me as we act with boldness and urgency to accomplish even more over the next four years.
I believe with every fiber in my body, that our best days lie before us. That we will capture that essence of New York exceptionalism and will continue working hard to better the lives of all New Yorkers.
Tonight, you put your faith in me. And I will NOT let you down.
Thank you for your love and your support.
Together, we are moving forward. And EVER UPWARD.
May God bless you, the great State of New York and the United States of America.
