Hochul makes history now as the first woman governor of New York, but given she only has 15 months left to serve in Cuomo’s term, this also puts the 2022 New York gubernatorial election under a cloud of uncertainty as Cuomo — especially prior to the allegations — was expected to mount a bid for a fourth term.

If Hochul runs, the fact that she is an unelected incumbent could make for an interesting electoral dynamic. Right now, she’s not terribly well known — about half of New York’s registered voters in a recent Quinnipiac University poll said they didn’t have an opinion of her job performance. That gives Hochul an opening to make an impression with voters, but she doesn’t have much time. The 2022 campaign is already underway, and even though unelected gubernatorial incumbents who run for a full term have tended to win their party’s nomination, they also are more vulnerable to a primary challenge than elected incumbents. And in a blue state like New York, there are a number of high-profile Democrats who might throw their hat in the ring. That said, it’s early yet, and we still don’t even know if Hochul will run. But for now, we’re keeping an eye on what New Yorkers think of Hochul and what that means for the race for the governor’s mansion in 2022.