There are no hard feelings over how the Hector LaSalle confirmation was handled by Democrats in the state Senate, Gov. Kathy Hochul this week said in an interview with WAMC.
The interview was recorded before the state Senate held a last-minute vote on Wednesday that ultimately rejected LaSalle's nomination by Hochul to become the state's chief judge. A month earlier, LaSalle's nomination had been turned down by the state Senate Judiciary Committee.
"There's other issues where you find common interests," Hochul told WAMC's Alan Chartock. "I think that's what New Yorkers want to occur, not to have us in our respective corners with our gloves up and ready to fight."
Hochul said she recently spoke with Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins for nearly two hours about "mutual priorities" for the Legislature in the state budget, which is due to pass by April 1.
"Despite some of the disagreements and some of them are very serious disagreements, we can still work together on many issues," Hochul said.
LaSalle's nomination drew opposition from all but a handful of Democrats in the state Senate with labor unions and progressive advocates criticizing his prior rulings on lower courts.
Hochul has maintained LaSalle was a qualified nominee, but acknowledged in a statement on Thursday she must re-start the nominating process for a chief judge.
LaSalle's bid was not withdrawn formally for a month and Hochul had raised the possibility of a lawsuit to force a full floor vote. Ultimately, Republicans in the state Senate filed suit leading Democrats to hold the vote on Thursday.
LaSalle's nomination was defeated, 20-39.
Hochul could still be at odds with her fellow Democrats in the Legislature on a variety of budget issues, including a proposal to revise the state's law limiting the use of cash bail as well as her opposition to raising the personal income tax and the details of her housing expansion plan.
In the interview, Hochul pointed to other areas of potential agreement, including provisions to limit the spread of illegal weapons in New York.
"My objective is when we are all done with this is people will look back and say a woman can do this job, that it doesn't require a certain personality, that you can have different individuals in here and showing the toughness when required," she said.