‘Tomorrow’ comes for Kathy Hochul, and gov gets ready to fly out of NY

Guess “tomorrow” really is “always a day away.”

On Election Day Tuesday, in one of her final campaign stops, Gov. Kathy Hochul promised to restore “optimism” to New York “first thing tomorrow morning.”

The vow to voters that she would get right to it if elected came as Hochul pledged to address the fears of rising crime and inflation that led to an unexpectedly close race with Republican Lee Zeldin.

But that was yesterday.

And as tomorrow became today, the newly elected governor — unlike many past gubernatorial and mayoral winners — had no public schedule on Wednesday.

In fact, she was preparing for a trip out of New York altogether — to the SOMOS conference in Puerto Rico.

“This city is back, and I want to lead this state into the next four years and possibly beyond with a sense of optimism we have not had here in a long time,” she said at a final campaign stop on Manhattan’s Upper East Side as voters went to the polls.

“That will start first thing tomorrow morning,” vowed the Buffalo native, who has been governor since her predecessor Andrew Cuomo resigned in August 2021.

After a late-night celebratory watch party at Chinatown’s Capitale, Hochul remained in New York City and was not holding any public events on Wednesday.

She is slated to fly to San Juan Thursday for the annual Somos Puerto Rico Conference along with many of the largely Democratic state and city elected officials, like Mayor Eric Adams and Albany leaders.

The junket, which is intended to address “problems of the Hispanic community” is a five-day sun-soaked getaway for Albany lawmakers and lobbyists to maneuver and get facetime with one another at conferences, parties and the beach.

Hochul is set to take a victory lap at her event “An Evening With Governor Kathy Hochul” Thursday evening at the El San Juan Hotel Fairmont, a luxury seaside resort in the territory’s capital.

Her victory was expected to cement her leverage over state lawmakers, but Republican gains over moderate Democrats in the state senate left the governor contending with a legislative majority that is now weighted to her left.

The governor’s office had no comment when asked about her lack of action Wednesday despite the “tomorrow” vow a day earlier.