Betsy McCaughey Ross
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Betsy McCaughey Ross (born 1949) was the lieutenant-governor of the state of New York from 1994 to 1998, during the first term of governor George Pataki. Prior to entering politics, she was a professor at Columbia University and worked at the Manhattan Institute, a think-tank. McCaughey, a political newcomer at the time of her election, surprised Republican Party insiders by publicly criticizing the Pataki administration.
In 1994, McCaughey (as she was then known) vigorously criticized the health care reform package proposed by Bill Clinton in a widely read article in The New Republic. The piece, "No Exit," won the National Magazine Award for excellence in the public interest. Supporters of the Clinton plan (including some of the editors of the New Republic) were vociferous in their criticism of McCaughey's criticism.
She and Pataki did not know each other when he asked her to become lieutenant governor. She was selected on the recommendation of former U.S. Sen. Alfonse D'Amato who was impressed by her piece on health care reform. Ross said she accepted the nomination thinking she could work with Pataki on various policy issues.
She started off the Pataki Administration working with the governor on issues such as medicaid reform and education policy. She had a famous clash with Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver in the Capitol lobby over the budget. Following the first months the relationship between Ross and Pataki went down hill with a series of bizarre incidents. This included more and more public disagreements between the two. In addition, Ross stood, for unknown reasons, during the 1996 State of the State Address. During the Pataki Administration, she married businessman Wilbur Ross.
In the spring of 1997, Pataki announced that Ross would not be his running mate in 1998. This was said to be the first time the two had talked in several months. Pataki later announced the selection of State Supreme Court Justice Mary Donohue as his running mate.
In 1997, Ross officially became a Democrat. She later announced her candidacy for the 1998 Democratic Nomination for Governor. Ross was the early frontrunner for her new party, in part because of her statewide name recognition and money from her millionaire husband. Her campaign was plagued by missteps and staff turnover and in August 1998, her husband withdrew his money from her campaign. In the early part of the campaign, State Comptroller Carl McCall announced that he would not support Ross if she became the Democratic Nominee. Ross' highest profile supporter was Assemblyman Sam Hoyt of Buffalo.
In 1998, after losing the Democratic Party primary for governor, she accepted the nomination of the Liberal Party for that office. However, her campaign attracted little support and she won 1.65% of the vote.
References
- Elizabeth McCaughey. "No Exit." The New Republic. February 7, 1994.
- Elizabeth McCaughey. "She's Baack!" The New Republic. February 28, 1994.
- James Fallows. "A Triumph of Misinformation." The Atlantic Monthly. January 1995.
- Mickey Kaus. "No Exegesis." The New Republic. May 8, 1995.
- Michael Kinsley. "Second Opinion." The New Republic. February 14, 2004.
- Theodore R. Marmor and Jerry L. Mashaw. "Cassandra's Law." The New Republic. February 14, 2004.