New York Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Thursday that she will run for the state’s top office in 2022 after completing the remaining term of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D), who plans to step down this month after facing nearly a dozen sexual harassment allegations.

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       “I’m the most prepared person to assume this responsibility, and I’m going to ask the voters for their faith in me again,” Hochul (D) said Thursday on NBC’s “Today” program.

       Hochul, 62, will become the first woman governor in New York when she is sworn in late this month after Cuomo leaves office. An investigation by New York Attorney General Letitia James, also a potential 2022 gubernatorial candidate, found that the claims against Cuomo were credible, leading her and many other Democrats to conclude that the long-serving governor was unfit for office.

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       Hochul, who was among many Democrats who condemed Cuomo following the report, has promised that when she becomes New York’s top elected official, there will be a significant culture shift.

       “At the end of my term, whenever it ends, no one will ever describe my administration as a toxic work environment,” Hochul said Wednesday during a news conference in the state capital.

       Hochul leaned on her local and national experience along with her familiarity with New Yorkers outside New York City as reasons she is the best person for the top job. Before becoming lieutenant governor, she served in Congress representing western New York.

       “I’m prepared for this,” Hochul said. “I’ve led a life working in every level of government, from Congress to local government. I am the most prepared person to assume this responsibility, and I’m going to ask the voters at some point for their faith in me again. But right now, I need their faith, I need their prayers, and I need their support to make sure we get this right.”