Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul was a guest on MSNBC's Morning Joe.

AUDIO of the Governor's remarks is available.

A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks is available below:

Mika Brzezinski, MSNBC: Joining us now is New York State's democratic Governor, Kathy Hochul. So many governors are stepping up for the Vice President. It's great to have you on this morning. Thank you for joining us on "Morning Joe." Tell me what you think - especially after that conversation with James Carville - about the challenges that are ahead for Vice President, Kamala Harris, as we get into the final days of this presidential election. She has taken the baton and is running with it, but a lot of experts are saying this isn't going to be easy and this is going to be tight.

Governor Hochul: You always run like an underdog, Mika. That's what I've always done - I've been an elected official for 30 years. You always run like an underdog and go in it hungry. And while Democrats are feeling some euphoria now and some confidence, don't let confidence turn into complacency. Do not take this for granted, because we will fight for this and we will win, but we have to take it to the streets like the old school politics that I come out of.

I'm the leader of the Democratic Party in New York, and we just put her over the top with the gathering of delegates and said, "We all support her." So, she has that support and she has Democratic support from all of us, but she has to take it the streets. And I'm so excited about getting out there on the campaign trail with her and also here in New York - fighting to make sure that we send her a Democratic congress. That is what we want to do here in New York and I'm laser focused on making sure that Hakeem Jeffries is elected the Speaker so she can have an easier go of it than she had as Vice President with President Biden when she had an obstructionist Republican House standing in the way of everything, including immigration reform, like you just spoke about.

There is one reason we don't have a strong immigration policy in this country and that person is Donald Trump. He killed the deal. So, she could run on that easily. I'll be there at her side to talk about what they have done; their policies have done to the State of New York and how Biden and Harris have worked so hard to try to undo the damage that was done during Donald Trump's presidency. So, I'm excited, but you never ever take an election for granted.

Al Sharpton, MSNBC: Governor, as you are talking about standing side-by-side with Vice President Harris, you bring certain skills to this in the fact that many people outside of New York don't understand New York State where you are governing and where you've been an elected official for 30 years. It's not just New York City, but all of the areas in between New York and Buffalo, and the difference in terms of the terrain of those cities where you have to negotiate what is rural in some cases, as well as big city, as well as industrial where you come from, Western New York. Can you give a lot of that advice to the Vice President as she runs between New York and LA? Because you're familiar with those kinds of voters and those kind of challenges, and you're governing those kinds of citizens.

Governor Hochul: Well, you're absolutely right, Reverend Al, and we are the heartland. We have our major city in New York City. The world knows New York City. We have a large part of our State that is rural and has traditionally voted Republican. I was elected in the most Republican district in the State of New York in 2011 in a special election. How did I accomplish that? I hit the Republicans on trying to hurt Medicare and social security. Those issues are just as salient today as they were in 2011, so we need to keep talking about those to senior citizens and the people in the VFW halls and going into the diners. Don't give up on any voter, especially women voters in the suburbs across the State of New York and across our country because guess what? They know that they had rights: the right to make reproductive decisions, the right to have an abortion that my mother fought for, I took for granted as being there, my daughter now no longer has; and it sure as heck better be there when my granddaughter becomes an adult as well.

So, this is a wedge issue in one sense, but finally one that works for democrats. I think we can pull back some Republicans and suburban women back to the democratic line when they understand they had reproductive rights in place before Donald Trump and the only promise he kept as President was to take away that right and he was successful. We have to end that.

Mika Brzezinski, MSNBC: Yeah. With Trump's accomplishments while he was in office that have actually physically hurt women across the country, Kamala Harris certainly has a case to make to the American people. New York Democratic Governor, Kathy Hochul, thank you very much for coming on this morning. Did you want to say something?

Governor Hochul: Thank you. No, I just want to say Reverend Al and I were together up in Buffalo. He mentioned Buffalo, and we were together with Kamala Harris at a funeral after the massacre of citizens in a grocery store. A racist slaughter of individuals, that we cared deeply about. We care deeply about our neighbors. We saw her in action, and she was so compelling and so empathetic and showed she is tough as nails and a prosecutor, but she also has this very large heart and I want people to see that as well because that is what we saw witnessed on that day when she spoke at that very stressful situation for the people of Buffalo. So, we were there together, Reverend Al.

Mika Brzezinski, MSNBC: Thank you very much for sharing that, Governor.

Contact the Governor's Press Office