The possibility that Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul could become governor highlights an infirmity in NY law: There's no explicit provision allowing anyone to fill a vacant *LG* spot. The state's highest court let David Paterson do so after a legal fight, but this hole should be plugged
Having no LG is bad b/c if the governorship were to become vacant a second time, the job would fall to the leader of the state Senate, which is a bad & anti-democratic outcome. Had Paterson left office early (which was possible!), Republican Joe Bruno would have become gov
Plus, the court ruling that allowed Paterson to pick a new LG could easily be overturned some day (it only prevailed by a 4-3 majority), and it didn't require a confirmation vote in the legislature, as is the case with other vacancies (current comptroller was elevated this way)
This problem was one of many that @PoliticsWolf and I addressed in a post making a series of recommendations for improving NY's election laws. Some have already been adopted! dailykos.com/stories/2019/2…
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