It's a good day to be Gov. Kathy Hochul. 

First, a former aide to her scandal-scarred predecessor who was leading the state's public college and university system announced his resignation amid growing pressure from faculty and student organizations, as well as members of the Legislature, as his continued tenure threatened to become a distraction. Hours later, her chief rival for the Democratic nomination for governor next year, Attorney General Letitia James, abruptly dropped her bid and announced her re-election to her current office.

Hochul now faces two Democrats for the party's nomination: New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi. A third, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, may yet jump into the primary. 

But Thursday's development also clarifies the race heading into next year, as Hochul has wielded the influence of an incumbent on the verge of proposing her first state budget and has drawn endorsements from around New York, ranging from labor unions in her hometown to the leader of the Democratic Party in vote-rich Brooklyn. 

James' decision to step down, too, was good for state Democratic Committee Chairman Jay Jacobs, a former loyalist to Cuomo who had broke with him in August following the release of James' report on allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct. Jacobs in an interview on Thursday morning praised James for dropping the gubernatorial campaign, calling it helpful to the party overall.   

"​I think she understands how difficult a year 2022 is going to be for Democrats," Jacobs said. "This is selfless for her to put her party ahead of her own preference. We owe her praise and thanks for putting this party ahead of her own desires. 

And Jacobs called on Hochul's remaining opponents — Suozzi and Williams — do the same. 

"I'm calling on all other candidates to do the same thing," he said.

That seems unlikely, at least for now. James held few campaign events over the last several months since announcing her bid. Despite some early endorsements, James did very little interaction with the New York press and reportedly struggled with fundraising, especially as Hochul blitzed the donor circles. 

The incumbent governor's campaign raised $10 million between August and November — a virtually unhead-of sum even in New York's relatively permissive campaign finance laws.

A poll this week released by Siena College showed a remarkably stable race, with Hochul holding an 18 percentage point lead over James even with Suozzi and Williams, along with the yet-to-declare de Blasio in the survey. 

But hurdles remain for both Williams and Suozzi ahead of the state Democratic convention in February, and whether there will be enough support for them to get an automatic spot on the ballot, or if they will have to go through the time-consuming process of petitioning their way on. 

Suozzi's campaign Thursday morning announced a series of virtual town hall events that will be regionalized — and designed to raise his profile in parts of upstate New York where he remains little known. 

"I offer my best wishes to Attorney General James as she continues to pursues her deep calling to public service," Suozzi said in a statement. "She has tremendous responsibilities as the sitting AG and I understand her desire to devote her energies to seeing through and continuing the important matters before her.”