If the New York governor, Andrew Cuomo, is impeached over the allegations that he sexually harassed at least 11 women, the state might get its first female governor.

Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul, 62, has served in her post since 2015. Now, she is reportedly preparing for the possibility that she could take over as New York’s top politician in the next several weeks, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Hochul, considered a centrist Democrat, got her start in politics working in local government, serving in offices like Eerie county clerk before winning a special election for state congress in her hometown district. However, her time as a congresswoman was short-lived, and she lost to Republican Chris Collins the following year.

As lieutenant governor, the Buffalo-raised politician has rarely sought the spotlight and maintained a characteristic distance from her boss. In recent months, as scrutiny around Cuomo intensified over his treatment of women and accusations that his administration intentionally downplayed the true number of New York nursing home deaths during the Covid-19 pandemic, Hochul further separated herself from him.

She called his behavior toward women “repulsive” in the wake of a report from the state attorney general released last week, which detailed allegations that he had sexually harassed 11 women.

“Sexual harassment is unacceptable in any workplace, and certainly not in public service,” Hochul said in an early August statement, according to the New York Times. “The attorney general’s investigation has documented repulsive and unlawful behavior by the governor towards multiple women. … ​​No one is above the law.”

Since then, Hochul has reportedly been seeking advice about how to handle filling Cuomo’s shoes if he is successfully impeached or resigns. She is considering how she would approach the office, which employees she might keep and whom she might hire.

The New York state assembly, which is made up of 150 lawmakers (106 of whom are Democrats), is currently weighing possible articles of impeachment against the governor. If the Assembly goes forward with a vote, 76 votes will be needed to impeach Cuomo. In that scenario, Hochul would be appointed governor when Cuomo faces his impeachment trial. If convicted, he would be removed from office entirely, but if acquitted, he would return to the office of governor.

Hochul is known for traveling to all of the state’s 62 counties every year and touts her pro-women bonafides on her website. She previously helped lead the governor’s “Enough is Enough” campaign against sexual violence on college campuses.

“Kathy has consistently placed issues that are important to women on the top of her agenda. Traveling the state, she has leveraged her position as the highest ranking female official in state government to encourage women to be an active voice for change,” says Hochul’s website.

Some influential labor groups have already started expressing their support for a Hochul administration.

“Everyone has the right to a workplace free from sexual harassment and violence. We urge the governor to acknowledge the pain he has caused and resign; and we support every effort to bring justice to women and accountability to Albany,” said a recent statement from the New York State Nurses Association.

“We are fortunate to have a lieutenant governor, Kathy Hochul, who is ready to lead with integrity and continue building on the advancements that New York has made towards greater economic, racial and social justice.”

Hochul came up in a predominantly Republican district, and in 2007, when serving as the Eerie county clerk, took a firm stand against then governor Eliot Spitzer’s proposal to issue drivers licenses to undocumented immigrants. At the time, Hochul said she would arrest undocumented people who applied for licenses. In 2018, Hochul walked back those statements, noting that “it is a whole different era out there”.

“I was an elected official in Erie county, and I represented the people of that district,” Hochul told reporters in 2018, according to Politico. “That was 11 years ago, and there were very few people saying that was the right policy at the time.”

Supporters of Hochul say she is known for her incorrigible work ethic and ability to charm leaders and voters alike.

“She visited not only every county in New York State, but every town and village and every borough in New York City,” said former representative John J LaFalce in an interview with the Buffalo News. “And in every single instance, when she left, people liked her.”