NEW YORK  — Democrat Kathy Hochul has become the first woman elected New York governor, winning the office outright that she took over in 2021 when former Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned.

She defeated Republican congressman Lee Zeldin, an ally of Donald Trump who ran a campaign focused on rising violent crime. Hochul had been expected to win but Zeldin made the race competitive in the final weeks.

Hochul sought to portray herself as a defender of abortion rights and Zeldin as too “extreme and dangerous” because of his ties to Trump and his vote against certifying the 2020 election results.