If Andrew Cuomo Resigns Who Becomes Governor?

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is facing mounting calls to resign amid allegations of sexual harassment and questioning over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic with issues raised over nursing home deaths.

Five women have accused him of sexual harassment or inappropriate behavior.

He has denied touching anyone inappropriately, though acknowledged his actions might have made people feel uncomfortable.

This allegations at Cuomo come as he also has faced questions over the handling of the COVID-19 outbreak in New York. There have been issues raised over nursing home deaths in the state.

Cuomo has said he will not resign. There has also been the suggestion of him being impeached, which could also lead to him being pushed from office.

While Cuomo has insisted he will not go of his own volition, the speculation las led to the query of who would fill his seat if he did go?

In New York, the lieutenant governor is first in line to fill the seat if the position of governor becomes vacant. The Constitution of the State of New York outlines this under Article IV, Section 5.

This reads: "In case of the removal of the governor from office or of his or her death or resignation, the lieutenant-governor shall become governor for the remainder of the term."

New York's current Lieutenant Governor is Kathy Hochul, a Democrat who has served as lieutenant governor since 2015.

Hochul is the 77th lieutenant governor of New York. Prior to this, she was a member of congress serving as representative for New York's 26th congressional district from 2011 to 2013. (https://ballotpedia.org/Kathy_Hochul)

She backed an investigation into allegations against Cuomo last month.

In a statement released at the end of February, Hochul said: "Everyone deserves to have their voice heard and to be taken seriously. I support an independent review." (https://www.wgrz.com/article/news/local/new-york-times-2nd-former-aide-accuses-governor-andrew-cuomo-of-sexual-harassment/71-53b4059c-f2ec-4b32-a1d5-2111f7157524)

The state's attorney general is probing the allegations.

Cuomo has called for this investigation to be concluded, amid suggestions of him quitting.

"Let's do the findings and then we go from there," he said.

In the same press conference on Sunday he said: "There is no way I resign."

In an earlier statement, Cuomo said: "I now understand that my interactions may have been insensitive or too personal and that some of my comments, given my position, made others feel in ways I never intended. I acknowledge some of the things I have said have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation. To the extent anyone felt that way, I am truly sorry about that.

"To be clear I never inappropriately touched anybody and I never propositioned anybody and I never intended to make anyone feel uncomfortable, but these are allegations that New Yorkers deserve answers to."

Newsweek has attempted to contact Hochul's office for comment.