Meghan McCain
Meghan McCain | |
---|---|
![]() McCain in June 2018 | |
Born | Meghan Marguerite McCain October 23, 1984 |
Alma mater | Columbia University |
Occupation |
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Known for |
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Height | 5 ft 1 in (1.55 m) |
Political party | Republican (2008–present)[1] Independent (before 2008) |
Spouse | |
Parent(s) | John McCain Cindy McCain |
Meghan Marguerite McCain (born October 23, 1984)[2] is an American columnist, author, co-host of The View, and an ABC News contributor.[3][4]
McCain is the daughter of 2008 presidential candidate and U.S. senator John McCain and Cindy McCain. McCain first received media attention of her own accord in 2007 for her blog, McCain Blogette, on which she documented life on the campaign trail and mused about fashion, music, and pop culture. In 2009 she became a contributing writer for The Daily Beast,[5] and in 2011, began appearing as a contributor on MSNBC.[6] In 2013, she began hosting on the start-up Pivot channel and, in 2014, assumed the co-host role on Pivot's TakePart Live until that show was canceled later in the year.[7]
In July 2015, McCain joined Fox News as a contributor. She was named a regular co-host of the afternoon talk program Outnumbered on November 14, 2016.[8] She left the program and network in September 2017. She was named co-host of The View on October 9, 2017,[9][10] as well as serving as a contributor and political analyst for ABC News, appearing on programs such as Good Morning America and This Week.
Early life
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/McCain_family_at_christening_of_USS_John_S._McCain_%28DDG-56%29.jpg/220px-McCain_family_at_christening_of_USS_John_S._McCain_%28DDG-56%29.jpg)
McCain is the eldest of the four children of John and Cindy Hensley McCain.[3] She has been a public figure for much of her life, first appearing at the 1996 Republican National Convention.[11]
She was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, and attended Phoenix Country Day School and Xavier College Preparatory, an all-girl private Catholic high school. She attended Columbia University, where she earned her bachelor's degree in art history.
McCain originally planned to become a music journalist and interned at Newsweek and Saturday Night Live.[12]
Political positions
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/de/Meghan_McCain_Republican_National_Convention%2C_September_1-4%2C_2008._St._Paul%2C_Minnesota_LCCN2010719276_%282%29.jpg/170px-Meghan_McCain_Republican_National_Convention%2C_September_1-4%2C_2008._St._Paul%2C_Minnesota_LCCN2010719276_%282%29.jpg)
McCain describes herself as "a woman who despises labels and boxes and stereotypes"[13] and politically identifies as a Republican who is "liberal on social issues."[3][12] She registered as an independent voter when she was 18 years old[1] and she voted for John Kerry in the 2004 presidential election.[12] She agrees with her father's positions on global warming, stem-cell research, and supporting environmentalist legislation.[3] At first she had doubts about the 2003 invasion of Iraq but subsequently supported her father's pro-war position regarding it.[3] She has stated she is pro-life,[13] in favor of sex education and birth control.[14] She has expressed an opinion that conservatives demonstrate hypocrisy regarding abortion: "They go on and on about how evil and wrong abortion is, but don't like to talk about how easy it is to not get pregnant."[15] McCain objected to the Arizona SB1070 anti–illegal immigration law, which her father supported.[16] In terms of economic policy, she once remarked on The Rachel Maddow Show: "I didn't even take econ[omics] in college. I don't completely understand it so I'd hate to make a comment one way or the other. That's—truly of all the things—I keep reading and I just don't understand it."[17] In the 2016 presidential election, she didn't vote for Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump, instead writing in Evan McMullin.[18] She has been labeled by some as a Neoconservative.
McCain has championed gay rights, and she has commented that the cause of the gay community for equality is "one of the ones closest to my heart." In this way, she spoke at the Log Cabin Republicans convention in April 2009,[13] describing her cultural and political perspectives with the declaration: "I am concerned about the environment. I love to wear black. I think government is best when it stays out of people's lives and business as much as possible. I love punk rock. I believe in a strong national defense. I have a tattoo. I believe government should always be efficient and accountable. I have lots of gay friends. And, yes, I am a Republican."[19] She supports same-sex marriage and gay adoption.[13] In June 2009 McCain posed for the NOH8 Campaign, a celebrity photo project that protests California's Proposition 8 constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, which her mother Cindy also posed for.[20] She was in favor of repealing "Don't ask, don't tell" and allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the U.S. military.[21] She also co-hosted GLAAD's Concert for Love and Acceptance in Nashville in 2015.[22]
Role in 2008 presidential election
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1d/John_McCain_in_Elyria_yesterday_%282988898861%29.jpg/220px-John_McCain_in_Elyria_yesterday_%282988898861%29.jpg)
On June 12, 2008, McCain wrote on her blog that she had changed her party registration to Republican.[1] She said she did so "as a symbol of my commitment to my Dad and to represent the faith I have in his ability to be an effective leader for our country and to grow and strengthen the Republican party when he is elected president of the United States."[1] In her book Dirty Sexy Politics McCain talks about how she nearly overdosed on Xanax on the day of the election.[23] In 2008 she published a book titled My Dad, John McCain.[24] In an interview on Larry King Live in September 2008, McCain stated that she had been too busy to have a romantic relationship while on her father's campaign trail.
Although her blogging was devoted to gaining support for her father among the Generation Y electorate, by October, Steve Schmidt and other McCain campaign staffers had substantially limited her appearances on the campaign, deeming her "too controversial."[25]
Subsequent career
McCain was a host of a nationally syndicated radio program, America Now from 2015 until 2017. McCain is also a blogger,[3][4] and began writing for The Daily Beast in January 2009.[5]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0a/MeghanMcCain.jpg/170px-MeghanMcCain.jpg)
In March 2009 McCain wrote an article for The Daily Beast titled "My Beef With Ann Coulter." In this article, she questioned Republican support for conservative author and columnist Ann Coulter.[26] While Coulter did not respond, conservative radio talk show host Laura Ingraham challenged McCain's article by comparing her to a "Valley Girl." Ingraham also mocked McCain: "Ok, I was really hoping that I was going to get that role in The Real World, but then I realized that, well, they don't like plus-sized models."[27] McCain responded to Ingraham in a second article for The Daily Beast titled "Quit Talking About My Weight, Laura Ingraham": "Instead of intellectually debating our ideological differences about the future of the Republican Party, Ingraham resorted to making fun of my age and weight, in the fashion of the mean girls in high school."[28] McCain also stated on The View that she thought the change in discourse toward her body was "terrible" and further argued, "When Tyra Banks went on her show in a bathing suit and said 'kiss my fat ass,' that's what I feel like. Kiss my fat ass!"[29] Ingraham responded by calling McCain a "useful idiot."[30] During a later interview on Larry King Live, McCain said that as far as she is concerned, "with what's going on with Laura Ingraham, on my end, it's over." She also told King that Coulter never responded to her article, which, she stated, "is fine with me.... All I wanted to do is show women that you don't have to be Ann Coulter and Laura Ingraham to have a place in the Republican Party.... Supriya Jindal is a good role model, but a lot of people hadn't heard of her."[31]
In April 2009 she signed a six-figure book deal with Hyperion.[32] Some 18,000 people were following her on Twitter.[32] She described her aims in this way: "All I am trying to be is a young, cool Republican woman for other Republican women."[32] Politico stated that while John McCain did not emerge from the 2008 election victorious, "his Bud Light–drinking, talk-show–appearing, insouciantly Twittering 24-year-old daughter" did."[32] Speaking at the 2009 Log Cabin Republican Convention, McCain said there was "a war brewing in the Republican Party" between the past and the future, and that "Most of the old school Republicans are scared shitless of that future."[19] She followed that by saying her enjoyment of Twitter was diminished by the presence of top Republican strategist Karl Rove, saying, "I can't shake the fact that Karl Rove is following me—it can be creepy" and "We need to take Twitter back from the creepy people."[33]
Statements such as these led news reports and commentators including Rachel Maddow and Kathleen Parker to conclude that McCain had the same "maverick gene" as her father.[34][35][36] Following the April 2009 party switch by Senator Arlen Specter from Republican to Democratic, conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh suggested that many Republicans wished both John McCain and Meghan McCain would leave too.[37] Meghan McCain's tweet in response was, "RED TIL I'M DEAD BABY!!! I love the Republican party enough to give it constructive criticism, I love my party and sure as hell not leavin'!"[37] On a May 2009 episode of the Colbert Report, she stated her support for sex education and criticized Bristol Palin's sexual abstinence campaign, saying it was "not realistic for this generation." McCain also stated her own desires for the Republican Party: "It can be a party for a 24-year-old pro-sex woman. It can be."[38] After John McCain campaign fixture Joe the plumber made some anti-gay remarks (saying he would not have "queers ... anywhere near my children") in mid-2009, Meghan McCain took aim at him, saying "Joe the plumber—you can quote me—is a dumbass. He should stick to plumbing."[39] In September 2009 and February 2010, McCain had repeat stints as guest co-host of The View.[21][40] In September 2010, she appeared on the NPR news quiz show Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me and won a prize for a listener.[41]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c9/Cindy_McCain_and_Meghan_McCain_%287906407570%29.jpg/220px-Cindy_McCain_and_Meghan_McCain_%287906407570%29.jpg)
Her campaign memoir, Dirty Sexy Politics, was published in September 2010. In it she expresses her opinions about Sarah Palin and describes her relationships with the McCain campaign staff. She states that the Republican Party seemed "to have lost its way in the last ten years,"[42] that the conservative movement seemed "hell-bent on restricting our freedoms rather than expanding them,"[43] and that within the Republican Party, she felt a certain stress to take over the ideas of others, like Mitt Romney, especially regarding same-sex marriage, which was a danger for the existence of the party.[44] The New York Times described the book as a coming-of-age narrative about herself.[25][45] However, other reviews were more scathing. Leon H. Wolf wrote, "It is impossible to read Dirty, Sexy Politics and come away with the impression that you have read anything other than the completely unedited ramblings of an idiot."[46] During the promotional tour for the book, McCain canceled an appearance at Juniata College owing to what she called "unforeseen professional circumstances." However, according to her Twitter, she was actually in Las Vegas on a girls' weekend, as she got over a boyfriend ending their relationship via e-mail.[47]
McCain has been lampooned and criticized by the political blogosphere. In September 2011 her lawyers asked RedState to take down posts that were parodying her commentary, as they made her appear buffoonish and arrogant. RedState complied.[48] In November 2011 McCain became an analyst on MSNBC, and immediately got into a back-and-forth with 2012 Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich.[6][49] In commentary on this, Gawker referred to her as "noted idiot Meghan McCain" and observed of her first outing that "she 'bets [her] career' that Newt Gingrich won't win the GOP nomination. What career."[50]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/37/Meghan_McCain_%28DIG14327-131%29.jpg/220px-Meghan_McCain_%28DIG14327-131%29.jpg)
A month-long road trip with comedian Michael Ian Black in the summer of 2011 led to a collaboration on the 2012 book America, You Sexy Bitch: A Love Letter to Freedom.[51] In it, McCain lambasts Republican strategist Karl Rove for what she believes was his role in the attacks against her younger sister in her father's 2000 presidential campaign, castigates Bill Clinton for his actions in the Lewinsky scandal, but despite ideological differences, praises Hillary Clinton for having "pushed through many doors and shattered many glass ceilings for women in politics. I love women who don't put up with shit, and Hillary clearly doesn't."[51]
In September 2013 her road-based talk show Raising McCain began on the start-up Pivot cable and satellite television channel.[52] It was cancelled in January 2014.[53] She instead was added as a co-host to the show TakePart Live on the same channel, appearing with Jacob Soboroff beginning in May 2014.[53][54] The show was cancelled in December 2014.[55] She signed on as a FOX News contributor in July 2015 and was named a regular co-host of the afternoon talk program Outnumbered on November 14, 2016.[8] McCain left the show in September 2017.
McCain was named the 21st co-host of The View on October 9, 2017, to serve as the conservative commentator of the show after Jedediah Bila left the previous month. McCain had previously guest co-hosted in the show in 2008 and 2010.[9][10]
On September 1, 2018, she delivered a eulogy at her father's funeral at Washington National Cathedral. In an emotional eulogy to her father, McCain mourned her father's passing as the "passing of American greatness, the real thing." In what was widely seen as a sharp rebuke of Donald Trump, McCain remarked that "The America of John McCain has no need to be made great again because America was always great."[56]
Personal life
In July 2017 McCain became engaged to conservative writer and commentator Ben Domenech. They were married on November 21, 2017, at McCain's family ranch in Sedona, Arizona.[57]
Awards and nominations
Year | Award | Category | Nominated Work | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2014 | GLAAD Media Award | Outstanding Talk Show Episode (as host and producer) |
Raising McCain | Nominated | [58] |
2018 | Daytime Emmy Award | Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host (shared with Joy Behar, Jedediah Bila, Paula Faris, Whoopi Goldberg, Sara Haines, and Sunny Hostin) |
The View | Nominated | [59] |
Writings
- McCain, Meghan (2008), My Dad, John McCain, Aladdin Paperbacks. ISBN 1-4169-7528-4
- McCain, Meghan (2010), Dirty Sexy Politics, Hyperion. ISBN 1-4013-2377-4
- McCain, Meghan and Michael Ian Black (2012), America, You Sexy Bitch: A Love Letter to Freedom Da Capo Press. ISBN 0-307-99023-0
References
- ^ a b c d McCain, Meghan (12 June 2008). "Republican". McCain Blogette. Archived from the original on 22 August 2008. Retrieved 13 June 2008.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ McAfee, Tierney (23 October 2017). "John McCain Gets Emotional with Daughter Meghan About Brain Cancer – And Her Boyfriend". People. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
Sen. John McCain appeared on The View on Monday [October 23, 2017], to help his daughter, co-host Meghan McCain, celebrate her 33rd birthday...
- ^ a b c d e f Raeves, Meston (23 February 2008). "Meghan McCain's Straight Blog Express". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ a b "McCainBlogette.com". McCainBlogette.com. Retrieved 17 October 2010.
- ^ a b "Meghan McCain on ''The Daily Beast''". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
- ^ a b McKay, Hollie (29 November 2011). "Chelsea Clinton and Meghan McCain Join NBC News: Do Political Kids Make Good Journalists?". Fox News. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
- ^ Breitman, Kendall. "Meghan McCain's show canceled". POLITICO. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
- ^ a b Brian Steinberg (8 October 2016). "Meghan McCain Will Co-Host Fox News Channel's 'Outnumbered'". Variety. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
- ^ a b "Meghan McCain joins 'The View' as new co-host". ABC News. 9 October 2017. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
- ^ a b Heil, Emily. "Meghan McCain joins ABC's 'The View' as a co-host". Washington Post. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
- ^ Scherer, Michael (17 December 2007). "Meghan McCain is not Chelsea Clinton". Salon.com.
- ^ a b c Veis, Greg (March 18, 2008). "Raising McCain". GQ. Archived from the original on April 3, 2008.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ a b c d Memo to the GOP: Go Gay. By Meghan McCain. The Daily Beast. April 13, 2009.
- ^ Berman, Judy (May 19, 2009). "Meghan McCain: "Pro-sex, pro-life, pro-gay marriage"". Salon.com. Archived from the original on July 15, 2011. Retrieved October 17, 2010.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Levingston, Steven (1 September 2010). "Review of 'Dirty Sexy Politics,' by Meghan McCain". The Washington Post. Retrieved 17 October 2010.
- ^ "Meghan McCain – Immigration Law in Arizona Divides Daughter and Dad". National Ledger. 28 April 2010. Retrieved 5 May 2010.
- ^ "Meghan McCain: "I Just Don't Understand" Economy". ABC News. 13 March 2009.
- ^ Jessie Hellmann (3 November 2016). "Meghan McCain: I voted for McMullin". The Hill.
- ^ a b Sinderbrand, Rebecca (18 April 2009). "Meghan McCain warns of looming civil war in the GOP". CNN. Retrieved 18 April 2009.
- ^ McCain, Meghan (19 June 2009). "Why I Posed Against Prop 8". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 21 June 2009.
- ^ a b "Meghan McCain on Mom's NoH8 Pic". The Advocate. February 7, 2010. Archived from the original on February 9, 2010. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "The Voice' runner-up Meghan Linsey announced as performer at Concert for Love and Acceptance May 29, 2015.
- ^ MacDonald, Kate. "Meghan McCain shows readers the darker side of politics". Massachusetts Daily Collegian. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
- ^ Tani, Maxwell (10 May 2019). "Meghan McCain Is Shopping a Book About Her Father". Retrieved 5 July 2019.
- ^ a b Schillinger, Liesl (10 September 2010). "Daughter of John McCain Is a Rebel". The New York Times.
- ^ McCain, Meghan (9 March 2009). "My Beef With Ann Coulter". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
- ^ Corley, Matt (9 March 2009). "Laura Ingraham mocks Meghan McCain as being 'plus-sized.'". Thinkprogress.org. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
- ^ Meghan McCain (14 March 2009). "Quit Talking About My Weight, Laura Ingraham". Thedailybeast.com. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
- ^ Thomson, Katherine (16 March 2009). "Meghan McCain On 'The View': 'Kiss My Fat Ass!'" (video). The Huffington Post. Retrieved 22 March 2009.
- ^ "Ingraham to Meghan McCain: You're a 'useful idiot'". CNN. 17 March 2009. Retrieved 17 March 2009.
- ^ "Meghan McCain: 'I support the president'". CNN. 24 March 2009. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
- ^ a b c d Libit, Daniel (11 April 2009). "Crashing the Republican Party". The Politico. Retrieved 17 April 2009.
- ^ Sindebrand, Rebecca (20 April 2009). "Meghan McCain: Karl Rove's a 'twitter creep'". CNN. Retrieved 20 April 2009.
- ^ Nintzel, Jim (20 April 2009). "Meghan McCain Has That Maverick Gene". Tucson Weekly. Retrieved 20 April 2009.
- ^ "'The Rachel Maddow Show' for Wednesday, March 11". The Rachel Maddow Show. MSNBC. 12 March 2009. Retrieved 25 May 2009.
- ^ Parker, Kathleen. "Another McCain Throws Down a Challenge", The Washington Post (March 25, 2009). Retrieved May 25, 2009.
- ^ a b Sinderbrand, Rebecca (29 April 2009). "Limbaugh to Specter: Please take McCain with you". CNN. Retrieved 30 April 2009.
- ^ Mooney, Alexander (19 May 2009). "Meghan McCain takes aim at GOP, Bristol Palin's abstinence tour". CNN. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
- ^ Kirchik, James (15 July 2009). "Meghan McCain: Joe the Plumber – you can quote me – is a dumbass". The New Republic. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
- ^ Shen, Maxine (20 August 2009). "Meghan McCain liked 'View'". New York Post. Retrieved 17 September 2009.
- ^ "September 4, 2010: Saturday's Show". Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. NPR. 4 September 2010. Retrieved 4 September 2010.
- ^ McCain, Dirty Sexy Politics, p. 5.
- ^ McCain, Dirty Sexy Politics, p. 7.
- ^ McCain, Dirty Sexy Politics, pp. 12–14.
- ^ Victor Stepien, "The Brashness of Youth", Out & About Newspaper, December 3, 2010.
- ^ "Meghan McCain's Dirty, Sexy Politics". New Ledger. Archived from the original on November 23, 2011. Retrieved November 17, 2011.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Brennan, Chris (24 September 2010). "Meghan McCain Takes Heat For Vegas Vs. Juniata College". Philadelphia Daily News.
- ^ "Totally (Not) Meghan McCain. FACE!". RedState. 27 September 2011. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
- ^ Poor, Jeff (2 November 2011). "New MSNBC contributor Meghan McCain: Newt Gingrich is 'sexist', 'disgusting'". The Daily Caller. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
- ^ "'Lean Stupid': MSNBC Hires Meghan McCain". Gawker.com. 2 November 2011. Archived from the original on 8 November 2011. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ a b Lee, MJ (29 May 2012). "Meghan McCain dishes in new book". Politico. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
- ^ Stelter, Brian (29 July 2013). "Pivot TV Pitches to Young Viewers". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
- ^ a b Molloy, Tim (11 January 2014). "Pivot Ending 'Raising McCain,' 'Jersey Strong' (Exclusive)". The Wrap. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
- ^ Wiegand, David (11 May 2014). "Meghan McCain eager to co-host news talk on 'Take Part Live'". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
- ^ Flood, Brian (9 December 2014). "'TakePart Live' Gets Axed by Pivot". Mediabistro.
- ^ "'America was always great': Meghan McCain rebukes Trump". Retrieved 2 September 2017.
- ^ Triggs, Charlotte. "Meghan McCain and Ben Domenech Are Married". People. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
- ^ Gouttebroze, Max (30 January 2014). "Meghan McCain on #glaadawards nomination: 'This is hands down one of the great honors of my career'". GLAAD.org. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
- ^ Evans, Greg (22 March 2017). "2017 Daytime Emmy Nominations: CBS Leads Networks With 70 Noms, 'Young & Restless' Tops With 25". Retrieved 24 March 2017.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Meghan McCain on X
- Column archives at The Daily Beast
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Meghan McCain at IMDb
- Template:Worldcat id
- Meghan McCain collected news and commentary at The New York Times
- 1984 births
- Living people
- 21st-century American non-fiction writers
- 21st-century American women writers
- American bloggers
- American columnists
- American political commentators
- American people of English descent
- American people of Scotch-Irish descent
- American people of Swedish descent
- Arizona Independents
- Arizona Republicans
- Columbia University alumni
- Fox News people
- LGBT rights activists from the United States
- McCain family
- New York (state) Independents
- New York (state) Republicans
- Writers from Phoenix, Arizona
- Writers from Arizona
- Women columnists
- American women bloggers
- American political writers
- ABC News personalities
- American women non-fiction writers
- Baptists from Arizona
- Neoconservatism
- American women activists