Andrea Stewart-Cousins will be New York’s first Black woman Lt. Governor after Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigns, according to Newsone.
Stewart-Cousins is currently the Senate Majority Leader in New York.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo, 63, was forced to resign after several women accused the governor of sexual harassment, the Associated Press reports.
Cuomo allegedly groped womens’ breasts or buttocks and made suggestive comments about women’s sex lives and their appearances. The women claimed that Cuomo’s advances made an intimidating work environment.
After an investigation by New York Attorney General Letitia James concluded that he’d harassed 11 women, Cuomo announced his resignation on Aug. 9. Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul will take over as governor in two weeks. With Stewart-Cousins taking over as Lt. Governor, the state will be run for the first time by two women.
Stewart-Cousins praised the women who came forward with a statement on Twitter.
— Sen. Stewart-Cousins (@AndreaSCousins) August 10, 2021
An important clarification tonight from New York State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins: The technicality that would make her the temporary lieutenant governor has not actually happened (yet?). Check again in two weeks. @AndreaSCousins pic.twitter.com/zr0EkSIXOW
— Maddow Blog (@MaddowBlog) August 11, 2021
With Kathy Hochul becoming Governor, New York’s first woman State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins will assume the role of Acting Lieutenant Governor.
This is the first time New York State will have two women in our government’s highest offices. pic.twitter.com/qh9r5BV5NX
— Mitali Modi (@mmodi93) August 10, 2021
Stewart-Cousins was caught by surprise when Cuomo resigned but noted that it was the right move. She was one of the first legislators advising Cuomo to resign due to the allegations, but Cuomo refused until the scathing report was released.
“We know the governor to be a fighter and there was that expectation that he was going to continue to fight,” she saidS. “But the reality is that we do have so much to do in New York. The litany of allegations and accusations were just piling up so this was the right thing to do.”
