Kathy Hochul to become first woman to lead New York

With a range of political experience that has taken her from a town board in upstate New York to Capitol Hill in Washington, Kathy Hochul is soon to become the first woman to serve as governor of New York.

As lieutenant governor, the No. 2 statewide position, she will take over in two weeks from Governor Andrew Cuomo, her fellow Democrat who resigned on Tuesday over a harassment scandal.

"I agree with Governor Cuomo's decision to step down. It is the right thing to do and in the best interest of New Yorkers," Hochul, 62, wrote on Twitter.

"As someone who has served at all levels of government and is next in the line of succession, I am prepared to lead as New York State’s 57th Governor."

She served 14 years as a town board member in Hamburg, a town of some 55,000 people near her native Buffalo, a more-than-six-hour drive from New York City.

"She's homegrown from the town of Hamburg, and for her to be the first female governor in New York state - we just couldn't be prouder," said Joan Kesner, a Democrat who served alongside Hochul on the town board from 1997 to 2007.

Kesner watched her friend broker compromises between at-odds residential subdivisions and create Hamburg's first haven house for domestic violence survivors.

She said Hochul's experience working on a range of issues in her part of western New York, from waterfront revitalisation to improved medical capacity and local business expansion, equipped her to serve New York, the fourth most populous US state.

Hochul issued a statement shortly after New York Attorney General Letitia James released the results of a five-month independent investigation that concluded Cuomo had engaged in misconduct with 11 women that violated US and state laws.

"The AG's investigation has documented repulsive & unlawful behaviour by the Governor towards multiple women. I believe these brave women & admire their courage coming forward," Hochul wrote on Twitter.

Responding to Cuomo's resignation on Tuesday, James in a statement expressed support for the soon-to-be governor.

"I know our state is in good hands with Lieutenant Governor Hochul at the helm, and I look forward to continuing to work with her," James said.