Meghan McCain

Meghan McCain (born Meghan Marguerite McCain on Oct. 23, 1984, in Phoenix, Arizona) is a columnist, author, and television personality. As the eldest daughter of former United States Senator John McCain, Meghan has gone one to become one of the most prominent conservative voices in daytime television.

Career

As the eldest child of John and Cindy Hensley McCain, Meghan has always lived in the political world. She appeared at the 1996 Republican National Convention when she was just 11-years-old and had a presence on her father’s 2008 presidential campaign. Before that, Meghan had non-political aspirations. Growing up in Phoenix, she attended Xavier College Preparatory, an all-girl private Catholic high school, before enrolling at Columbia College of Columbia University, earning her bachelor’s degree in art history. Meghan had hopes of becoming a music journalist, but her life took her down a different path.

Meghan launched the McCain Blogette in 2007, documenting her father’s presidential campaign while also sharing her thoughts on fashion, music, and pop culture. Initially registered as an Independent, Meghan changed her party affiliation in 2008 to “Republican” in a show of support for her father’s presidential campaign. Though Sen. McCain and then-Alaskan governor Sarah Palin were unsuccessful in unseating President Barack Obama and Joe Biden, the campaign helped launch Megan’s punditry career. She began writing for The Daily Beast in 2009. During her tenure on the site, Meghan established her brand of conservativism. She took on known right-wing trolls as Ann Coulter and Laura Ingraham, earning her the “maverick” reputation that was commonly associated with her father.

In 2009, she signed a six-figure book deal with Hyperion. Meghan had previously published My Dad, John McCain with Aladdin Paperbacks in 2008, but the book with Hyperion, Dirty Sexy Politics, is considered her actual literary debut. Released in 2010, the Washington Post described the book a “youthful narrative” that boasted a sense of humor, a trait not often associated with Republicans. The right-wing website RedState would blast the book for showing Meghan’s “unbearable narcissism, delusions of persecution, anti-religious bigotry, and mendacity,” as well as her “manifestly below-average intelligence.” This review would become a bit awkward to read since RedState was co-founded by Meghan’s future husband, Ben Domenech.

Meghan took her first steps towards her television career in 2011 by going on a month-long road trip with comedian Michael Ian Black. The tour resulted in a collaborative book, America: You Sexy Bitch: A Love Letter To Freedom. The joint press tour they did seemed to catch someone’s eye at MSBC, because in Nov. 2011, she was hired as an on-screen analyst. In Sept. 2013, she was given a talk show, Raising McCain, on the short-lived Pivot cable channel. It was canceled in Jan. 2014. A few months later, she was added to TakePart Live, but that show was also axed by the end of the year.

In July 2015, Meghan found her way to Fox News. She was hired as a contributor in July and named a regular co-host of the afternoon talk program, Outnumbered, in late 2016. She would leave both Outnumbered and Fox News in Sept. 2017, joining The View on ABC. Meghan, who had previously guest co-hosted the show in 2008 and 2010, made her debut on Oct. 9, 2017. Though The View has had its share of conservative co-hosts – Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Candace Cameron Bure, Nicole Wallace – Meghan’s tenure occurred during a time of greater social media scrutiny. Her clashes with her more liberal co-hosts, most notably Joy Behar, often get re-shared online, drawing ire from fans and voters alike. Despite this, Meghan remains steadfast in her views and still open to engaging with people with opposing viewpoints.

Personal Life

Meghan McCain and conservative commentator Ben Domenech became engaged in July 2017. They were wed a few months later at Meghan’s family ranch in Sedona, Arizona. In March 2020, a year after suffering a tragic miscarriage, she announced that she was pregnant with their first child.

Though Meghan comes off as a staunch conservative on The View, she has often taken positions that would put her at odds with The Federalist, the online conservative website co-founded and run by her husband. She has campaigned for gay rights, supported her father’s positions on global warming, stem-cell research, and further environmental legislation. She endorsed Joe Biden over President Donald Trump in the 2020 election. However, when it comes to issues like universal health care, gun regulation, and abortion, she’s quite Republican.

Meghan has five other siblings, including Bridget McCain, a child John and Cindy adopted from a Bangladeshi orphanage.

Notable Life Moments

Meghan’s father, Sen. John McCain, passed away at age 81 after a battle with brain cancer. The loss was incredibly hard on Meghan, who has gone on to say she’s struggled with the grief. She delivered a eulogy at her father’s funeral at the Washington National Cathedral.

The Most Popular Questions About Meghan McCain

What Does Meghan McCain Do For A Living?

As of 2020, Meghan is one of the five co-hosts of the Emmy-winning series, The View. The officially joined the panel, sitting alongside the likes of Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar, in September 2017, after a few of her guest appearances were well received. She will be celebrating her fourth season with the show when it returns, September 8th, 2020.

What Books Has Meghan McCain Written? 

Meghan McCain has not written any books, though her politician father, John McCain, penned several, including ‘Father Of My Fathers,’ ‘Why Courage Matters’, ‘Character Is Destiny’, and The Restless Wave, his last memoir before his passing.

Who Is Meghan McCain Married To?

Meghan is married to Ben Domenech, the co-founder and the publisher of The Federalist, a conservative digital magazine that covers politics and recent events. The couple married in 2017, several months after Meghan accepted her new job as a co-host on The View. The are expecting their first child.