Cuomo says whom he wants as his running mate

ALBANY - Stop the speculation: Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Thursday he wants Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul to be his running mate again in November.

And a Hochul spokeswoman said the lieutenant governor and former western New York congresswoman plans to run for a second term with Cuomo.

In recent weeks, there were rumors that Hochul may not run for a second term with Cuomo, potentially considering a run for Congress again against Rep. Chris Collins, R-Clarence, Erie County, who beat her in 2012.

But Cuomo said Thursday it will be him and Hochul again this year.

"Kathy Hochul is my lieutenant governor. She’s been a great lieutenant governor, and I would very much like her to be on the ticket," Cuomo told reporters on Long Island.

"I think she’s enjoying what she is doing. So she is my choice for lieutenant governor."

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Hochul too confirmed she will be the Democratic governor's running mate.

"She fully intends to run for re-election as lieutenant governor," her spokeswoman Haley Viccaro said.

Hochul may face a primary challenge, though. New York City Councilman Jumaane Williams is considering a run against Hochul in September.

In New York, a governor and lieutenant governor run independently in a primary, then the winners are on the same ticket on the November ballot.

Cuomo's support of Hochul also ends talk he might pick another running mate. Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren was considered as a possible candidate.

But Warren on Monday essentially ruled out interest, saying she is happy as mayor and wouldn't want the travel demands of the job because she has a young daughter.

In 2010, Cuomo won a first term with then-Rochester Mayor Robert Duffy as his running mate. But Duffy didn't see a second term and now heads the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce.