Elizabeth Helen McCaughey (; born October 20, 1948),

McCaughey has been a fellow at the conservative Manhattan Institute and Hudson Institute thinktanks and has written numerous articles and op-eds. She was a member of the boards of directors of medical equipment companies Genta (from 2001 to 2007) and Cantel Medical Corporation, but she resigned in 2009 to avoid the appearance of conflict of interest with her public advocacy against the Affordable Care Act.

Early life, education, and family

McCaughey and her twin brother, William, were born in Pittsburgh to Ramona Peterken, and her husband Albert, a factory janitor. In a 2010 article about misinformation surrounding healthcare reform efforts in the United States, political scientist Brendan Nyhan argued that McCaughey's articles about Clinton's healthcare reform were both highly influential in shaping debate on the subject and misleading, owing in part to "egregious errors" she made in reading and interpreting the proposals.

New York Lieutenant Governorship, 1995–1998

After winning the election, Pataki told The New York Times, McCaughey would have "very real and significant responsibilities" as lieutenant governor. In the spring of 1997, Governor Pataki announced that McCaughey would not be his running mate when he ran for re-election in 1998. He later selected New York State Supreme Court Justice Mary Donohue to replace her.

Though she had always voted Republican in presidential elections and taken conservative Republican policy positions, McCaughey suddenly switched her party affiliation to Democrat and soon announced plans to run for governor against Pataki. Factcheck.org called the claims "nonsense" and stated that what that section of the bill would actually do is "require Medicare to pay for voluntary counseling sessions helping seniors to plan for end-of-life medical care, including designating a health care proxy, choosing a hospice and making decisions about life-sustaining treatment." In a rebuttal, Factcheck.org stood by their analysis and provided further analysis, which led them to conclude that McCaughey had misinterpreted the bill.

In a September 15, 2013, opinion piece in the New York Post entitled "Obamacare will question your sex life", McCaughey wrote: <blockquote>"Are you sexually active? If so, with one partner, multiple partners or same-sex partners?" Be ready to answer those questions and more the next time you go to the doctor, whether it's the dermatologist or the cardiologist and no matter if the questions are unrelated to why you're seeking medical help. And you can thank the Obama health law.</blockquote>

Politifact rated this assertion as "Pants on Fire", and FactCheck.org also called it false.

thumb|left|McCaughey in 2013

In an October 25, 2013, appearance on Fox News, McCaughey said that the Affordable Care Act would have the effect of "eviscerating Medicare".

On her Twitter feed and on television, McCaughey stated that members of Congress and other government employees were granted a "special subsidy" and a "premium illegally arranged by Obama" under the Affordable Care Act. Factcheck.org, Politifact, and fact checkers at CNN all found that assertion to be false.

2026 Connecticut gubernatorial campaign

In 2025, McCaughey, now a resident of Connecticut, sharply criticized Governor Ned Lamont over his decision to sign H.B. 8002, a housing and zoning reform bill, into law. She told the New Haven-based WELI-960 AM "Rich boy Lamont wants a homeless encampment in every town," adding that she is already "gearing up" for a run for governor in 2026. She called state senator Ryan Fazio and former New Britain mayor Erin Stewart, the two current Republican primary candidates, "kids," alluding to their young ages (35 and 38 years old respectively), juxtaposing them with her self-described "decades of experience, public policy knowledge and the strength to stand up to rich boy Lamont." Connecticut Democratic Party chairman Roberto Alves accused McCaughey of "further [illustrating] what we’re seeing more and more of in the Republican field: candidates drifting further away from Connecticut values and deeper into extreme politics and unaffordable economic policies". If elected, McCaughey would become the first Republican to win a statewide election in Connecticut since 2006.

On January 12, 2026, McCaughey announced her campaign for governor of Connecticut in the November 2026 election.

Electoral history

See also

  • List of female lieutenant governors in the United States

References

</references>

Bibliography

  • Obama Health Law: What It Says and How to Overturn It (Encounter Books, 2010).
  • Beating Obamacare: Your Handbook for the New Healthcare Law (Regnery Publishing, 2013).
  • Biographical resume of McCaughey at Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths website.
  • Chassie, Karen (ed.) Who's Who in America, 2007 (61st ed.), New Providence: Marquis Who's Who, , p.&nbsp;2961.

|-

|-

|-