Kathy Hochul Is Shopping in New York City for a Second-in-Command

Ms. Hochul, New York’s governor-in-waiting, plans to pick a No. 2 who is a downstate lawmaker and a person of color, to give her a balanced ticket in the 2022 primary.

ALBANY, N.Y. — Seven years ago, Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul was given her introduction to statewide politics in New York, when Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo tapped her as his running mate. Mr. Cuomo was seeking to balance the Democratic ticket by selecting Ms. Hochul, a woman from Western New York, as lieutenant governor. In doing so, he unwittingly created a path that would eventually lead to Ms. Hochul’s historic ascension next week, when she becomes the state’s first female governor. Now, as Ms. Hochul contemplates her own second-in-command, politics will once again play a role. She has said she intends to choose a lieutenant governor from New York City, and she has focused on several elected officials who are people of color.