 In the Republican nomination race for Senate, McFarland described herself both as a "moderate Republican" and a "Reagan Republican".She was pro-choice.She ran into trouble with a March 2006 comment that appeared to allege that the Clinton campaign had been flying helicopters low over her Southampton, New York, house and spying on her, or that Clinton forces had rented an apartment across from her $18 million duplex on Park Avenue; she later said she had been joking, but the episodes upset her.