With pressure mounting on Gov. Hochul to pick new lieutenant governor, some suggest she raid challenger Suozzi's ticket
NEW YORK -- Gov. Kathy Hochul has promised to pick a new lieutenant governor, following Tuesday's resignation of Brian Benjamin, who was forced to step down following a federal campaign finance indictment.
In an odd twist, many Democrats want her to try and poach the running mate of one of her opponents, CBS2's Marcia Kramer reported Wednesday.
"When the Javits Center is back, when the auto show is back, that is the clearest sign that New York is back," Hochul said.
Hochul welcomed the International Auto Show back to the city as if everything is hunky dory normal in her world, as if her hand-picked number two, Benjamin, didn't upend her world when he walked out of federal court after being indicted on bribery and fraud charges.
"I'm going to find a real partner. We need a little bit of time, but we're going to continue to [work] to get it right," Hochul said.
READ MORE: New York Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin resigns following indictment on bribery charges
The governor promised to pick a new lieutenant governor to serve until the end of the year, when Benjamin's term is up. The more perplexing problem is what to do about the upcoming Democratic primary, when the only way to get Benjamin's name off the ballot is to have him move to another state, die, or run for another office -- none of which is likely.
Some Democrats have suggested she just poach primary opponent Tom Suozzi's running mate, Diana Reyna, a Dominican woman who served in the City Council and as deputy Brooklyn borough president. The governor seemed nonplussed when she was asked about that on Wednesday.
"I've not even heard that rumor. That's, um, so, no, this is very early in the process. I have received a lot of people to consider and we'll be going through the background vetting process to determine the best route forward," Hochul said.
While the governor claimed ignorance of the rumor, Suozzi and Reyna were bombarded with questions about the possibility. Suozzi told Kramer that everyone should endorse Reyna.
"It's very clear that everybody, including the governor, including the Democratic party, should endorse Diana Reyna for lieutenant governor. She's the best possible candidate," Suozzi said.
The fly in the ointment for Hochul is that Reyna has endorsed Suozzi for governor and is not willing to jump ship.
"Kathy Hochul got herself into this mess and she has to now figure out how to get herself out of it," Reyna said.
The selection of a running mate is important because New York history shows that often that person is called on to actually become governor on short notice. Just ask David Paterson, who got the job when Eliot Spitzer resigned in a sex scandal, or Hochul, herself, who had to replace Andrew Cuomo.
Until Hochul fills Benjamin's slot, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins will serve as acting lieutenant governor, perhaps until the end of the year.
