Former New York Lt. Gov. Betsy McCaughey is kicking off her campaign for governor of Connecticut.
McCaughey, 77, said she’s filing her official paperwork Thursday declaring her bid for the Republican nomination to lead the Constitution State.
She’s running to “stop Hartford’s war on homeowners, get rid of Lefty [current Gov. Ned] Lamont’s Housing Law, halt soaring property taxes, and relieve almost all seniors of any property tax burden at all.”
McCaughey, who has a Greenwich residence and grew up in Milford and Westport, said she remembers when Connecticut was “the opportunity state” but “now it’s the evacuation state.”
She pledged to lower electric rates, eliminate the public benefit charge on electric bills, and ban offshore wind power.
Her initial claim to fame was writing a withering column about then-President Bill Clinton’s health care proposal.
McCaughey later served as lieutenant governor under Republican Gov. George Pataki, but clashes led to her removal from the ticket when he sought re-election in 1998.
She has written columns for The Post and been a host on the right-leaning cable news channel Newsmax.
Elsewhere, she’s a founder of Reduce Infection Deaths, a national campaign to stop hospital infections, which is headquartered in Connecticut.
Lamont, the Democratic incumbent, is seeking a third term.
Also vying for the Republican nomination are state Sen. Ryan Fazio and former New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart.
