Kathy Hochul, a Democrat and Buffalo native, became the first woman ever elected to the office of New York governor Tuesday night.

"But I’m not here to make history, I’m here to make a difference,” Hochul said to a crowd of enthusiastic supporters Tuesday night.

Hochul's challenger, Army Reserve lieutenant and Republican Lee Zeldin of Long Island, conceded Wednesday afternoon.

Hochul said she may not have run to "make history," but she did admit that she "felt a weight on [her] shoulders to make sure that every little girl, and all the women of the state who’ve had to bang up against glass ceilings everywhere they turn, to know that a woman could be elected in her own right and successfully govern a state as rough and tumble as New York.”