deputy
What position did Kathy Hochul take from 2003 to Dec 2006?
Kathy Hochul Kathleen Courtney Hochul ( ; born August 27 , 1958 ) is an American politician serving as Lieutenant Governor of New York since 2015 . She served as the U.S . Representative for New Yorks 26th congressional district from June 1 , 2011 , to January 3 , 2013 , after winning the four-candidate special election of May 24 , 2011 , to fill the seat left vacant by the resignation of Republican Chris Lee , and was the first Democrat to represent the district in 40 years . Hochul served as the County Clerk of Erie County , New York , from 2007 to 2011 , when she assumed her seat in Congress . Previously , she was a deputy county clerk , a member of the Hamburg Town Board , a practicing attorney , and a legislative aide . Hochul was defeated for reelection to Congress by former Erie County Executive Chris Collins after the boundaries and demographics of her district were changed in the decennial reapportionment process . She has also worked as a government relations specialist with Buffalo-based M&T Bank . Early life and education . Hochul was born Kathleen Courtney in Buffalo , the second of the six children of John P . Jack Courtney , then a college student and clerical worker , and Pat Courtney , a homemaker . Hochuls family struggled financially during her early years and for a time lived in a trailer near a steel plant . By the time Hochul was in college , however , her father was working for the information technology company he later headed . Hochul became politically active during her college years at Syracuse University , leading a boycott of the student bookstore over high prices and an unsuccessful effort to name the university stadium after alumnus running back Ernie Davis . She successfully lobbied the university to divest from apartheid South Africa , and in spring 1979 , the student newpaper The Daily Orange awarded her an A , citing the campus changes as evidence for the grade . She received her B.A . from Syracuse in 1980 and her J.D . from the Catholic University Columbus School of Law in 1984 . Early political career . After graduating from law school , Hochul began working for a Washington D.C . law firm , but found the work unsatisfying . She then worked on Capitol Hill as a legal counsel-legislative assistant to U.S . Representative John LaFalce and U.S . Senator Daniel Moynihan , and for the New York State Assembly , before seeking elected office . She became involved in local issues as a booster of small businesses who tried to counteract the effect of Walmart stores . She was elected as the Democratic and Conservative Party candidate to the Hamburg Town Board in November 1994 . She served on the town board until 2007 . While on the board , she led efforts to remove toll booths on parts of the New York State Thruway system . In May 2003 , Erie County Clerk David Swarts appointed Hochul as his deputy . When Swarts left office in 2007 , Governor Eliot Spitzer appointed Hochul to the post . Though she had been appointed by Spitzer , she opposed his proposal to allow illegal immigrants to apply for a drivers license without producing a social security card . She said that if the proposal went into effect , she would call the sheriffs office to bring such applicants in for questioning . She was elected later in 2007 to fill the remainder of Swartss term . She ran for reelection on four ballot lines : Democratic , Conservative , Independence and Working Families Party , defeating Republican Clifton Bergfeld in November 2010 with 80% of the vote . Following Hochuls departure as county clerk , a backlog of mail was discovered by newly elected County Clerk Chris Jacobs , who later said that $792,571 in checks were found in the backlogged mail . As county clerk , Hochul had been in the process of implementing a new system for handling real estate documents when she left after winning the special election for the 26th Congressional District . Jacobs said that $9,000 were spent in overtime to deposit checks and file unopened documents that had accumulated in the interim period after Hochuls departure , while the office was adjusting to the new system . U.S . House of Representatives . 2011 special election . Hochul ran in the May 24 , 2011 , special election to fill the seat in New Yorks 26th congressional district left vacant by the resignation of Republican Chris Lee . She was the Democratic Party and Working Families Party nominee . Hochuls residence in Hamburg , just outside the 26th district , became an issue during her campaign , though it did not disqualify her from seeking the seat . One month after her victory , she moved into the district , fulfilling a campaign promise . The Republican and Conservative Party candidate , state legislator Jane Corwin , was at first strongly favored to win in the Republican-leaning district , which had sent a Republican to Congress for the previous four decades . A late April poll had Corwin leading Hochul 36%-31% ; independent Tea Party candidate Jack Davis trailed at 23% . An early May poll gave Hochul a 35%–31% lead , and shortly thereafter the nonpartisan Rothenberg Political Report called the race a toss-up . Additional polling in the days immediately before the election had Hochul leading by four- and six-point margins . A Washington Post article noted that in the face of a possible Hochul victory , there was already a full blown spin war about the meaning of the result . The article went on to say that , for Democrats , the close race was a result of House Republicans budget plan authored by Wisconsin Rep . Paul Ryan—and , in particular , his proposal to turn Medicare into a voucher program . For Republicans , it was the result of millionaire Jack Davis , who spent millions to pull votes away from Republican Jane Corwin . The article also posited that one overlooked possibility was that Hochul was simply a stronger candidate than Corwin . The seat was viewed as a difficult one for a Democrat to win , and only a really solid campaigner could make it happen . Hochuls political strength stemmed from starting her career as an aide to Senator Daniel Moynihan , one of the most admired politicians in New York history . She has been called sweet and earnest , and a successful campaigner , but someone who can do that by being not the least bit slick . Hochul was linked to tangible local accomplishments , as well as when she broke with then Gov . Eliot Spitzer ( D ) to oppose license plates for illegal immigrants ( ten years later , as lieutenant governor , she reversed this position , pointing to the policies of President Trump and the impact migrants have on businesses in New York ) . Hochuls victory was almost universally viewed as astonishing , given that the district is heavily Republican and that Corwin outspent her almost 2–1 . The campaign featured a number of negative television ads , with nonpartisan FactCheck accusing both sides of taking liberties with the facts . In particular , FactCheck criticized the Democrats ads for claiming that the Republican candidate would essentially end Medicare , even though the plan left Medicare intact for current beneficiaries . The organization also faulted the Republicans for ads portraying Hochul as a puppet of former U.S . House Speaker Pelosi , and for claiming that Hochul planned to cut Social Security and Medicare benefits . Campaign funding . Hochul was endorsed by EMILYs List , a political action committee that supports pro-choice Democratic women candidates . She was the fifth largest recipient of EMILYs List funds in 2011 , receiving more than $27,000 in bundled donations . The Democrat and Chronicle endorsed Hochul for her tenacity and independence , while The Buffalo News endorsed her for her positions on preserving Medicare and her record of streamlining government . Victory . Hochul defeated Corwin 47% to 43% , with Davis receiving 9% , and Green Party candidate Ian Murphy receiving 1% of the vote . On the day of the election , a contributor for Forbes argued that Hochuls impending victory would be a serious blow to the GOP agenda , and , more specifically , Paul Ryans budget plan that would end Medicare as we know it . When Democratic strategists were not considering Hochul a serious candidate , EMILYs List and the Working Families Party backed her . Hochul achieved success widely due to her efforts in battling the Republican budget , which aimed to makes cuts to Medicaid and privatize Social Security . 2012 election . In the 2012 election , Hochuls district was renumbered the 27th district . She lost her reelection bid to Chris Collins , 51% to 49% . She was endorsed by the National Rifle Association . Tenure . In Hochuls first few weeks in office , she co-sponsored bills with Brian Higgins to streamline the passport acquisition process . She also met with President Obama about the economy and job creation and introduced a motion in the House to restore the Republican cuts to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission . She looked for ways to reduce the federal budget deficit , open to reducing Medicaid spending as long as it wasnt in the form of block grants offered to states , as proposed in the GOP budget blueprint . She also spoke with Obama about ending tax breaks for oil companies and protecting small businesses . While campaigning for Congress , Hochul defined herself as an independent Democrat . In an interview with the Lockport Union-Sun & Journal , she cited as examples of her independence her opposition to Spitzers drivers license program for illegal immigrants and her opposition to Governor David Patersons 2010 proposal to raise revenue by requiring all vehicle owners to buy new license plates . Hochul was one of 17 Democrats to join Republicans in supporting a resolution finding Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress relating to the ATF gunwalking scandal , a vote on which the National Rifle Association , which supported the resolution , announced it would be scoring lawmakers . Later in 2012 , Hochul trumpeted her endorsement by the NRA and noted that she was just one of two New York Democrats to receive the NRAs support . Trade . On September 17 , 2011 , Robert J . McCarthy noted that Hochul and her election opponent Jack Davis agreed on their opposition to free trade . We saw what happened with NAFTA ; the promises never materialized , she said of the North American Free Trade Agreement . If I have to stand up to my own party on this , Im willing to do so . Energy . During her congressional campaign , Hochul favored offering incentives to develop alternative energy . In June 2011 , Hochul opposed legislation that would cut funding for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission ( CFTC ) by 44% , on the ground that the CFTC curbs speculation in oil and the resulting layoffs of CFTC personnel would make it easier for Big Oil companies and speculators to take advantage of .. . consumers . Fiscal issues . While running for the U.S . House , Hochul supported raising taxes on those making more than $500,000 per year . She opposed new free trade agreements then under consideration , saying , We dont need to look any further than Western New York to see that these policies do not work . She believes that free trade agreements such as NAFTA and CAFTA have suppressed U.S . wages and benefits and caused job loss in the U.S . Hochul called the summer 2011 debt ceiling issue a distraction to which the American people should not be subjected . Hochul acknowledged during her campaign that substantial cuts must be made in the federal budget , and said she would consider cuts in all entitlement programs . But she expressed opposition to the Republican plan that would turn Medicare into a voucher system , saying it would end Medicare as we know it . She said money could be saved in the Medicare program by eliminating waste and purchasing prescription drugs in bulk . She also said that the creation of more jobs would alleviate Medicare and Social Security budget shortfalls due to increased collections of payroll taxes . On November 19 , 2011 , Brian Tumulty of WQRZ reported that Hochul had voted for a balanced budget amendment , which she called a bipartisan solution . Health care . Hochul expressed support for the 2010 health care reform legislation passed by the 111th Congress and said during her campaign that she would not vote to repeal it . In response to a constituents question during a town-hall meeting in February 2012 , she was booed for saying that the federal government was not looking to the Constitution under the Obama administration requirement that non-religious employers provide their workers with insurance coverage for birth control . A spokesman later stated that shed misspoken , but did not clarify her answer . Social issues . Hochul has said she is pro-choice . She supports civil marriage for same-sex couples , with no requirements on religious institutions . Committee assignments . - Committee on Armed Services - Committee on Homeland Security - Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence - Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness , Response , and Communications Lieutenant Governor of New York . Campaign and election . In 2014 , Robert Duffy announced that he would not run for reelection as lieutenant governor . Incumbent governor Andrew Cuomo was running for a second term . After Duffys announcement , Cuomo named Hochul as his choice for lieutenant governor . On May 22 , 2014 , the delegates to the state Democratic convention formally endorsed Hochul for lieutenant governor . In September , Cuomo and Hochul won their Democratic primary elections . Cuomo and Hochul were also the Working Families Party nominees . ( In New York , candidates for governor and lieutenant governor are nominated separately , but run as a ticket in the general election. ) In November , the Cuomo/Hochul ticket won the general election . Hochul was sworn in as lieutenant governor on January 1 , 2015 . 2018 election . In the Democratic primary , Hochul faced Jumaane Williams , Deputy Leader of the New York City Council . She defeated Williams , 53.3%-46.7% . Tenure . Cuomo tasked Hochul with chairing the 10 regional economic development councils that are the centerpiece of the administrations economic development plan . The councils goal is to build upon the strengths of each region to develop individualized long-term strategic plans . Cuomo appointed Hochul to chair the Task Force on Heroin and Opioid Abuse and Addiction . In this capacity , she convened eight outreach sessions across New York State to hear from experts and community members in search of answers to the heroin crisis and works to develop a comprehensive strategy for New York . Hochul spearheaded Cuomos Enough is Enough campaign to combat sexual assault on college campuses beginning in 2015 , hosting and attending more than 25 events . In March 2016 , Cuomo named her to the New York State Womens Suffrage 100th Anniversary Commemoration Commission . Representing Cuomo across the state , Hochul tours main streets , meets local business owners , visits college campuses and meets regularly with mayors , supervisors and other community leaders . She builds support for Cuomos initiatives , including the minimum wage increase , paid family leave , ethics reform and infrastructure investment . As lieutenant governor , Hochul is liaison to New Yorks federal representatives in Washington , D.C . Community activities . Hochul is a founder and a member of the Board of Directors of Kathleen Mary House , a transitional home for women and children who are victims of domestic violence . She was also co-founder of the Village Action Coalition , and a member of the Board of Trustees at Immaculata Academy in Hamburg . Personal life . Hochul is married to William Hochul , a former United States Attorney for the Western District of New York . They reside in Buffalo , New York , and have two children .