The previous right-hand woman to former New York Republican Gov. George Pataki announced on Thursday she is running for Connecticut governor.
In announcing her campaign against Gov. Ned Lamont (D-CT), former New York Lt. Gov. Betsy McCaughey slammed “Lefty Lamont’s” housing, taxation, and energy policies.
“Today, I’m officially announcing my run for Governor of Connecticut. Our state needs a fighter,” she wrote on X. “If you’re tired of high property taxes, unaffordable electric bills, and jobs moving out of the state, I’ve got solutions for you.”
McCaughey served as Pataki’s understudy for his first term in office, but their relationship fractured as she worked under him. The former New York governor announced about halfway through his term in 1997 that she would not run with him for reelection, and he chose a new running mate. McCaughey then switched to the Democratic Party and attempted a failed run against Pataki.
Since then, McCaughey has stayed out of running for elected office but switched back to the Republican Party and has been an advocate against Obamacare.
Tackling Lamont could be a stiff challenge for McCaughey. The incumbent governor has won two straight election bids and became the first Democrat since 1986 to win the state by more than 5 points with his roughly 13-point win in 2022. He also maintains a positive approval rating.
She will have to fight through a Republican primary featuring former New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart and Republican state Sen. Ryan Fazio, both of whom have already raised at least a quarter-million for their campaigns. A huge component of any recent Republican primary is President Donald Trump’s endorsement, though, and McCaughey has the connections.
She worked as an economic adviser for Trump’s 2016 campaign and was married to the first Trump administration’s Treasury Secretary Wilbur Ross. When asked about whether she could win Trump’s endorsement, she appeared bullish on her chances.
“I will say this,” McCaughey said. “I’m running on my own, but it’s very possible President Trump will support me.”
Democrats are already hot on McCaughey’s heels.
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“Betsy McCaughey has spent the last years of her career shilling for Donald Trump’s deeply unpopular agenda that is driving up costs for middle-class families,” Democratic Governors Association spokesman Kevin Donohoe said in a statement.
“The last thing Connecticut families need right now is a Trump mouthpiece as their governor,” he added. “With McCaughey in the race, this primary is a messy MAGA melee that will leave the eventual Republican nominee badly out of touch with Connecticut families.”