Former Republican Attorney General Dennis Vacco may join the administration of Kathy Hochul in the likely event that Governor Andrew Cuomo is impeached by the State Assembly, political operatives tell The Chronicle.
Vacco was the last Republican to serve as Attorney General in New York State. He was elected in 1994 in a wave year for the GOP that also saw the ouster of former Governor Mario Cuomo and the election of former Mayor Rudy Guiliani. Vacco very narrowly lost his reelection bid to Elliott Spitzer in 1998 by less than 1% of the vote.
“With her selection of Vacco for such a key tactical role, Hochul clearly is looking for strategic insights into the Republican mind, which tells me that she’s thinking about the General Election, and intends to run as a moderate bipartisan problem solver,” the operative explains.
“That she’s selecting a prosecutor to serve as General Counsel inside the Governor’s chambers tells me that sexual harassment isn’t going to be tolerated,” he adds. “She plans to do things straight-laced and by the book.”
Vacco was an Assistant District Attorney of Erie County from 1978 to 1988 and served as United States Attorney for the Western District of New York from 1988 until 1994.
Vacco is currently a partner in the Buffalo, New York law firm of Lippes Mathias Wexler Friedman, LLP.
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