Politico: “It was their best chance in a decade to claw back control of Albany: An incumbent governor crippled by scandal, under state and federal investigation and haunted by the same ‘Cuomo fatigue’ his father faced a quarter century earlier. Instead, New York Republicans might face a history-making woman with a moderate record, upstate birth certificate and thick Rolodex built up over six years working politicians, business owners and local leaders all over the state. Even the party says its new opponent is formidable.”

“The implosion of Andrew Cuomo – the three-term governor who went from national stardom to unemployed and possibly homeless in less than a year – further damaged an already-fractured Democratic Party in New York. It could be equally jarring for the state’s Republicans, who had an unlikely but conceivable path to victory with Cuomo facing a bruising primary in 2022. Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, set to become governor on Aug. 24, announced on Thursday she intends to run for reelection next year. Many think she can win. And even the GOP state party chair, Nick Langworthy, thinks Hochul should be taken seriously. He says she has a knack for on the ground campaigning that others – Cuomo included – lack. ‘She shouldn’t be underestimated in terms of her skills as a politician,’ Langworthy said in an interview Thursday. ‘She’s one of the best retail politicians I’ve ever seen. She will go places that other elected leaders will not.'”