Scott McKaig

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Scott McKaig

Republican Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

March 3, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

The University of North Carolina Greensboro, 2004

Graduate

Campbell University - The Lundy-Fetterman School of Business, 2008

Law

Campbell University - Norman A. Wiggins School of Law, 2008

Other

North Carolina State University

Personal

Birthplace

Raleigh, N.C.

Religion

Christian

Profession

Attorney

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Scott McKaig (Republican Party) ran for election to the North Carolina State Senate to represent District 18. He lost in the Republican primary on March 3, 2020.

McKaig completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Jesse "Scott" McKaig was born in Raleigh, North Carolina. He obtained an undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro in December 2004. He attended North Carolina State University for summer school. McKaig obtained graduate degrees from the Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law and the Lundy-Fetterman School of Business, both part of Campbell University, in May 2008. As of 2020, McKaig was an attorney.

As of 2020, McKaig was a commissioner of the Tryon Palace Commission and a member of the National Rifle Association and of the Republican Party. He was also part of the following groups: Master Mason Raleigh #500 AF&AM, the North Carolina State Bar, and the 10th Judicial Bar.

Elections

2020

See also: North Carolina State Senate elections, 2020

General election

General election for North Carolina State Senate District 18

Sarah Crawford defeated Larry Norman and Jason Loeback in the general election for North Carolina State Senate District 18 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sarah Crawford (D)	52.1	67,912
		Larry Norman (R)	44.4	57,890
	Submit photo	Jason Loeback (L)	3.5	4,595

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 130,397
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for North Carolina State Senate District 18

Sarah Crawford defeated Angela Bridgman in the Democratic primary for North Carolina State Senate District 18 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sarah Crawford	74.2	21,630
		Angela Bridgman	25.8	7,510

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 29,140
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for North Carolina State Senate District 18

Larry Norman defeated Scott McKaig in the Republican primary for North Carolina State Senate District 18 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Larry Norman	51.3	7,116
		Scott McKaig	48.7	6,753

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 13,869
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Libertarian primary election

The Libertarian primary election was canceled. Jason Loeback advanced from the Libertarian primary for North Carolina State Senate District 18.

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Scott McKaig completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by McKaig's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Scott McKaig was born in Raleigh in 1983. Graduated from East Wake High School in 2001. Earned a BA from UNC-Greensboro in 2004 and Juris Doctorate and Masters in Business Administration from Campbell University in 2008. His father Ben McKaig was a WCPSS Teacher for 32 years (recently Retired) and his Mother Deborah McKaig has been a NICU nurse at Rex Hospital for 40 years (hopes to retire soon). Scott has 2 children (Liam, 8 and Aiden, 6) with his Partner Katherine Riebe. Scott spent his 6 years after Law School as a private practice attorney, focusing mostly on indigent criminal defense and dabbling civil litigation and family law. Starting in 2014, Scott bounced around and worked for a CRO and a tech company. In early 2015 Scott started working for the State of North Carolina, spending a few months, at the Industrial Commission, the Governors Crime Commission and finally almost a year at the Department of Information Technology. In 2018, Scott accepted a Position with Lincoln Network, Inc.. Lincoln Network is a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit that works on bridging the gap between technology and policy makers. Scott serves as the General Counsel and Chief Financial Officer of Lincoln Network. Scott also works as an Adjunct Professor in the Business Department of Wake Tech Community College and has done so since 2016. When he isn't working he likes to spend time with his family and travel. Scott is a big fan of Boxing, and a bourbon enthusiast.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Improving our educational system should be job one for everyone at the General Assembly. We need to make our public schools stronger, and support charter schools and other school choice initiatives.
• Criminal Justice reform is another area of critical need. I have seen our system up close and have real, common sense, ideas to make it better. Begin by simplifying our criminal code, decriminalization of Marijuana/hemp and the elimination of cash bonds and civil forfeiture would be a good start.
• I am a strong supporter of classic conservative ideas, including (but not limited to) protecting the Unborn, the 2nd Amendment and smaller/smarter government.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

1. Protecting the people of North Carolina against the proposed Medicaid expansion

2. Improving educational outcomes for all our students by simultaneously strengthening public schools and allowing school choice options to flourish.

3. Criminal Justice reform. Simplifying/organizing our criminal code, eliminating cash bonds and civil forfeiture, decriminalizing hemp and marijuana, improving programs to reduce recidivism.

4. Protecting the 2nd Amendment.

5. Protecting the Unborn.

6. Reducing unnecessary government regulations and interferences that prevent regular folks from starting a new business or making a better life for themselves.

7. I support voter ID and oppose activist judges who are trying to circumvent the will of the electorate.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Lincoln, Churchill, Reagan. I want to be a man of conviction. I want to be honest about the things I believe and brave enough to change my beliefs when presented with evidence that I was wrong about something. We all get things wrong, but I pray for the wisdom to never take myself so seriously that I can't admit I got something wrong.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

The Federalist papers
Reflections on the Revolution in France

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty, I told myself when this started I wasn't going to say anything just for political reasons. If I say it, I mean it.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am honest, hardworking, driven and kind. I believe you can go a long way on kindness. We need to get back to a place where you can disagree with someone without name calling.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To serve the citizens of their district and the State of North Carolina. Be firm in your convictions, and stand up for what you believe in. At the same time be willing to do what you can, to help as many people as you can.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like people to know that I did what I thought was right, every time, even if it was unpopular.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I was 8 when the Soviet Union Collapsed. I remember watching that on tv and asking a lot of questions. I was 12 or 13 when MLB went on strike and it gave me a healthy cynicism of Labor Unions.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I worked as a lifeguard at the Knightdale Rec center from the age of 15, until my sophomore year of college.

What is your favorite book? Why?

For Whom the Bell Tolls or Valediction (Robert B. Parker)

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Jon Snow

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Ashamed to say this, but "Old town Road" (My kids make me listen to Kids Bop in the car.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I had some tough years professionally from 2008-2014. The economy was bad, and it was a tough time to be a young lawyer just out of school trying to make it on your own. I still owe Sallie Mae a pretty nice house, and some of those years I was doing mostly court appointed criminal defense work I made almost no money.

Every state besides Nebraska has two legislative chambers. What do you consider the most important differences between the legislative chambers in your state?

Our State Senate, is apportioned by population (just like our house) so functionally, they are very similar except the House has 120 seats and the Senate only has 50. My understanding of our states history is the House is a more deliberative body, it allows a great deal more debate and discussion before calling votes. It is my sincerest hope, that with only 50 members in the senate, there is more opportunity for face to face interactions with your colleagues which I hope will lead to more bi-partisan attitudes and productive compromises.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

It depends. I think some people benefit from prior service in some capacity. Others bring valuable perspective from outside the insular world of politics.

What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?

Sound financial management. We have huge deficits in our State Health and Pension plans. Tens of billions of dollars, that are committed to state employees and retirees. Being fiscally responsible and working towards eliminating those shortfalls in critical for our continued economic prosperity.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and the state legislature?

A relationship built on the understanding that everyone involved wants what is best for the citizens of North Carolina. A relationship where you can work productively together and disagree without being disagreeable.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Yes. I think it is critical to have personal relationships with as many other legislators as possible. I hope to forge friendships with as many members of the opposition party as I can. You would be amazed at what you can get done when people stop virtue signaling and work together on compromises that improve the lives of everyone.

If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Appropriations, Education, Healthcare

If you are a current legislator, what appealed to you about your current committees?

N/A

If you are not currently a member of your party’s leadership in the legislature, would you be interested in joining the leadership? If so, in what role?

I would be honored to serve in any capacity in which I am needed.

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

I plan on making my own path.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

Probably not. Never say never, but I would like to serve the people of my district and the State for as long as I can, then pursue other things.

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

I met a family whose children struggled in Public school, and their lives were profoundly changed a charter school. Good Schools can do more to change a community than anything else.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

2020 Elections

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External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• 2020 campaign website

Footnotes

[show]

Current members of the North Carolina State Senate

Leadership

Minority Leader:Sydney Batch

Senators

District 1

Robert Hanig (R)

District 2

Norman Sanderson (R)

District 3

Bob Brinson (R)

District 4

Eldon Newton (R)

District 5

Kandie Smith (D)

District 6

Michael Lazzara (R)

District 7

Michael Lee (R)

District 8

William Rabon (R)

District 9

Brent Jackson (R)

District 10

Benton Sawrey (R)

District 11

Lisa Barnes (R)

District 12

Jim Burgin (R)

District 13

Lisa Grafstein (D)

District 14

Dan Blue (D)

District 15

Jay Chaudhuri (D)

District 16

Gale Adcock (D)

District 17

Sydney Batch (D)

District 18

Terence Everitt (D)

District 19

Val Applewhite (D)

District 20

Natalie Murdock (D)

District 21

Tom McInnis (R)

District 22

Sophia Chitlik (D)

District 23

Graig Meyer (D)

District 24

Danny Britt (R)

District 25

Amy Galey (R)

District 26

Phil Berger (R)

District 27

Michael Garrett (D)

District 28

Gladys Robinson (D)

District 29

Dave Craven (R)

District 30

Steven Jarvis (R)

District 31

Dana Jones (R)

District 32

Paul Lowe (D)

District 33

Carl Ford (R)

District 34

Chris Measmer (R)

District 35

Todd Johnson (R)

District 36

Eddie Settle (R)

District 37

Vickie Sawyer (R)

District 38

Mujtaba Mohammed (D)

District 39

DeAndrea Salvador (D)

District 40

Joyce Waddell (D)

District 41

Caleb Theodros (D)

District 42

Woodson Bradley (D)

District 43

Brad Overcash (R)

District 44

Ted Alexander (R)

District 45

Mark Hollo (R)

District 46

Warren Daniel (R)

District 47

Ralph Hise (R)

District 48

Timothy Moffitt (R)

District 49

Julie Mayfield (D)

District 50

Kevin Corbin (R)

Republican Party (30)

Democratic Party (20)