Hochul Is the Star as Democrats Gather for a Cuomo-Free Convention

Six months after Kathy Hochul suddenly became New York’s first female governor, the Democratic State Convention on Thursday showcased just how much the political dynamics of the state had changed since Andrew M. Cuomo’s stunning resignation, as Ms. Hochul easily secured her party’s endorsement in her race for a full term.

Ms. Hochul has quickly cemented institutional Democratic Party support, reflecting both the advantages of incumbency and a relentless personal political effort. Those dynamics were on display as lawmakers praised her, party chairs suggested others drop out of the race and “Labor for Kathy” signs dotted the convention hall at a Sheraton hotel in Midtown Manhattan.

She was introduced by Hillary Clinton, the first female presidential nominee of a major political party and a former New York senator, marking the most high-profile day of campaigning yet for the governor.

Mrs. Clinton used the appearance to both glowingly endorse Ms. Hochul — and to describe the stakes of the upcoming midterm elections in stark terms following the Jan. 6 attacks on the U.S. Capitol and Republican efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

“New York must be not just the home of the Statue of Liberty, we must be the defenders of liberty,” said Mrs. Clinton, who also spoke warmly of Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin.

Then it was Ms. Hochul’s turn. She used her speech to embrace her status as the state’s leader of the Democratic Party and to turn attendees’ attention to defeating Republicans, though she must first navigate the Democratic primary in June.

“What is the greatest threat to the Republican Party? What is their biggest nightmare? A united Democratic Party!” Ms. Hochul declared — though protesters who interrupted her speech with concerns around evictions illustrated clear tensions at play.

Ms. Hochul, a relative moderate from Western New York, suggested that whatever tactical differences there may be, members of the party should “never lose sight of the fact that as New York Democrats, we know where we need to go.”

The convention capped an extraordinary year in New York politics, defined in New York City by the election of the city’s second Black mayor, Eric Adams, and in Albany by the ouster of Mr. Cuomo amid ​​allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct.

Attorney General Letitia James, who briefly challenged Ms. Hochul but is now seeking re-election, released an investigation into Mr. Cuomo’s conduct that led to his resignation. He has denied touching anyone inappropriately and, emboldened by decisions from top prosecutors to rebuke but not to prosecute him, he has signaled to associates that he hopes to regain relevance in public life.

In an enthusiastically received appearance before the convention, Ms. James defended the report and lashed Mr. Cuomo.

“It has become clear that the former governor will never accept any version of these events other than his own,” she said. “To achieve that, he is now claiming the mantle of victim and disgracefully attacking anyone in his path. Pushing others down in order to prop himself up. But I will not bow. I will not break.”

The crowd began to applaud, a stark reminder of how far Mr. Cuomo has fallen. Four years ago, the Democratic convention was a coronation for him, after a spirited primary challenge from the actress Cynthia Nixon.

Now he is a pariah among the party officials over whom he once wielded enormous influence.

“I will not be bullied by him,” said Ms. James, whose office is also conducting a civil inquiry into former President Donald J. Trump and his family business. “Or Donald Trump,” she added.

But much of the day was focused on the current governor.

“The party should be unified,” said Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, the chairwoman of the Brooklyn Democratic Party, who said she believed Ms. Hochul’s Democratic opponents — the New York City public advocate, Jumaane D. Williams, and Representative Tom Suozzi of Long Island — should drop out of the race.

“The vast majority of the people are behind Kathy Hochul,” she said. “So why create fights?”

Mr. Williams is running to Ms. Hochul’s left, while Mr. Suozzi is waging a centrist campaign focused heavily on combating crime. Both lag her significantly in fund-raising and in the sparse public polling that is available, and Mr. Suozzi’s name was not even voted on at the convention. (Kim Devlin, a spokeswoman for the congressman, said he did not put his name in contention.)

But Mr. Williams and Mr. Suozzi both argued on Thursday that they saw pathways that were not reliant on state party support.

“We all know that it’s kind of pageantry in here,” Mr. Williams said.

Still, Ms. Hochul is unquestionably the clear front-runner. Other races appeared even less competitive: After years of speculation concerning whether the Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, would face a credible left-wing challenge, he was renominated for his seat by acclamation on Thursday. A significant opponent could still emerge, though the window is narrowing ahead of the June primary.

Attention on a potential primary challenge had long focused on Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democratic congresswoman from New York, but she confirmed in an interview recently that she was running for re-election.

“I love New York,” Mr. Schumer declared. “I love representing New York as Senate majority leader. I’ll love it even more when we pick up two more seats.”

But the convention arrived toward the beginning of a midterm campaign season that appears brutally difficult for the Democratic Party nationally, and potentially challenging even in liberal New York. The party sustained major losses on Long Island and even in a few New York City races in November.

Mrs. Clinton warned against getting distracted by “the latest culture war nonsense, or some new right-wing lie on Fox or Facebook.” And she implicitly cautioned her party against being overly responsive to online arguments that appear removed from the daily concerns of many Americans.

“Don’t let the extremes of any or either side throw us off course,” she said. “Focus on the solutions that matter to voters, not the slogans that only matter on Twitter.”

Mr. Suozzi alluded to some of the party’s challenges during a Thursday breakfast.

“We are not speaking to the issues that the people are concerned about,” he said, laying out a centrist vision that includes fighting crime and grappling with high property taxes. “We’re not resonating.”

He also acknowledged the institutional resistance he faces, noting the prominent Democrats who have questioned why he would give up his seat in Congress to run.

“I spoke with our keynote speaker today, Hillary Clinton, a few months ago, she tried to persuade me not to run,” he volunteered. A spokesman for Mrs. Clinton declined to comment.

But in his speech and in additional interviews, he expressed confidence in a path forward. He has also named Diana Reyna, a former city councilwoman from Brooklyn, as his running mate.

Mr. Williams, for his part, said he had doubled his showing from 2018: He received 12.46 percent of the vote on Thursday, to Ms. Hochul’s 85.5 percent; a contender named Paul Nichols received around 2 percent. Mr. Williams suggested that the makeup of the convention did not match that of the electorate.

“If we can do that here, in the belly of the establishment, we know that our vision works for working-class people,” he said.

Another point of tension evident at the convention was concern around Latino representation; a preliminary schedule listed no Latino speakers, though some were added later.

“It’s critical that the Democratic Party be sensitive of Latino voters,” said Representative Adriano Espaillat, a New York City Democrat. “I think that’s a great challenge for the party.”

Jay Jacobs, the chairman of the New York State Democratic Committee, argued that some of the outcry was around a preliminary list that didn’t represent the full speaker slate.

Ms. Hochul ended her remarks with a celebration of the state’s diversity.

“I see Democrats of every race, creed, ethnicity, gender, who are with me in that arena,” she said, “ready to fight for the very soul of our party and our state.”

Grace Ashford and Jeffery C. Mays contributed reporting.