BUFFALO, N.Y. — ​When Kathy Hochul began her political career, her policies generally signaled she was a moderate Democrat.

However, during her time as lieutenant governor, she supported more progressive policies from the Cuomo administration, and Republicans like Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay believe that may continue now that she's chief executive.

"It worries me a little bit," he said. "I think she may be following the blueprint that [Senator] Gillibrand followed when she was appointed to the Senate. She was known as an Upstate moderate, and then went hard left when she was appointed to the Senate."

State Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt said Hochul's selection of his Senate colleague Brian Benjamin is one of the causes for concern. He believes Benjamin has fallen on the wrong side of the issue when it comes to criminal justice reform.

"I think it's very clear of where the governor is going to be on this issue and that is bad news for New Yorkers," Ortt said. "She looks like she's going to double down on these policies that have made us less safe and have seen an increase in crime."

Both leaders said they spoke with Hochul following Andrew Cuomo's resignation announcement, but are troubled they weren't invited to her swearing-in ceremony. They haven't spoken with her since she officially became governor.

"I think maybe from an optics standpoint, it would look better to say the first female governor was sworn in with leaders from both the majority parties and the minority parties from the state Legislature, and I think that would send a better message optically, politically for her. She choose not to do that," Ortt said.

"The fact that she didn't invite any Republicans to that makes me a little bit nervous that she really isn't looking at being a bipartisan leader," Barclay said. "Again, I hope that doesn't signal that she's just going to go to the hard left."

Barclay and Ortt said one good sign is the Hochul administration has reported an additional 12,000 COVID deaths in New York. However, in recognizing the Cuomo administration underreported those deaths, they said the new governor should fire Health Commissioner Howard Zucker, who, they said, was at least complicit, if not responsible, for that underreporting.