Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul sought to distance herself in public remarks Wednesday from scandal-scarred Gov. Andrew Cuomo as she prepares to become the first woman to helm New York’s state government. 

“It’s very clear that the governor and I have not been close, physically or otherwise, in terms of much time,” said 62-year-old Hochul to a national audience before a hefty line of cameras at the New York State Capitol in Albany.