Scott Baugh
Scott Randall Baugh is an American attorney and politician. He is a member of the Republican Party. He served in the California State Assembly and served as the chair of the Republican Party in Orange County, California, from the early 2000s to 2015.
Baugh attended Liberty University and McGeorge School of Law. After graduating, Baugh served as an attorney in private practice in Huntington Beach. Baugh entered politics after a recall was initiated in 1995 for the 67th district of the state assembly; he served as minority leader of the California Assembly. After leaving office, he became the chairman of the local Republican Party.
Baugh was a twice unsuccessful Republican nominee for California's 47th congressional district in 2022 and 2024, losing to Democrats Katie Porter and Dave Min respectively.
Early life and education
Scott Baugh was born in 1962 in Redding, California, to Helen and Cason Baugh. Baugh grew up on a 10-acre farm in Redding, California. His father ran a linen supply business, and also leased ranchland. He was the fourth of five children. Baugh played as a middle linebacker on his high school football team, earning the nickname "Dr. Death" for his onfield prowess.In 1984, Baugh earned his Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from Liberty University, graduating summa cum laude. During his senior year in college, he served as an intern for a congressman on Capitol Hill.
In 1987, Baugh earned his Juris Doctor, with honors, from the McGeorge School of Law. After graduating from law school, Baugh became an attorney in Huntington Beach, California.
Career
Lawyer
After graduating from law school, Baugh went into private practice with a law firm in Sacramento, California. He later joined the corporate office of Union Pacific Railroad.Assemblyman
In 1995, Baugh ran as a replacement candidate for the recall of Assemblywoman Doris Allen. The recall election took place on November 28, 1995, and Allen was recalled with 65.19% voting to recall her. Baugh was endorsed by Governor Pete Wilson, the Republican Party of Orange County, the Orange County congressional delegation, and Republican members of the state legislature. Baugh won the replacement election, getting 40.9% of the vote.Later, Baugh was involved in a controversy around the election that had legal ramifications. He was subsequently indicted. Most of the original charges against Baugh were dismissed after a local judge ruled that the prosecutor's office had engaged in prosecutorial misconduct by failing to present exculpatory evidence to the grand jury. The key witness was found to be "unreliable". The case was eventually turned over to a different prosecutor after a local judge found that the original attorney engaged in "grave misconduct". California Attorney General Bill Lockyer eventually requested that the judge overseeing the case dismiss the criminal charges after the case deteriorated in light of the evidence. The case was referred to the Fair Political Practices Commission by the attorney general which eventually levied a fine for civil infractions.
While serving in the state legislature, Baugh focused his attention on judicial reform, liability laws and health insurance. Additionally, he authored a number of bills that focused on safety for minors.
1997
During his time in the State Assembly, Baugh worked against state regulation, including getting a bill passed that exempted new cars from smog checks for the first five years. This legislation is believed to have saved Californians 350 million dollars.Serving as the vice chair of the Assembly Transportation Committee, he helped pass legislation that helped repair an eastern section of the San Francisco Bay Bridge.
Assembly Leader
Baugh was elected by his Republican colleagues to serve as Assembly Republican Leader in April 1999, a post he held until he was termed out in December 2000. Baugh's term as leader was characterized by members of both parties as successful as he consistently reached across the aisle. As leader, he sponsored legislation on grand jury reform and police officer training on the rights of suspects.Orange County Republican Party
On April 19, 2004, Baugh was elected chairman of the Republican Party of Orange County, succeeding Tom Fuentes. Under his leadership, the party moderated its positions and repaired relations with state and national Republicans.In March 2007, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, seeking the GOP nomination for president in 2008, announced that Baugh would serve as a member of his California statewide finance committee. In this capacity, he raised over $2 million for Romney in Orange County.
Baugh supported Romney in the 2012 presidential election. During the 2012 Republican Party presidential primaries, Baugh served as a California delegate.
In January 2015, Baugh stepped down as party chair and was succeeded by Fred Whitaker.
U.S. House of Representatives
2022
After redistricting took place in 2021, Baugh was the Republican candidate for California's 47th congressional district in the 2022 election. He ran under the endorsement of several Republicans, including then House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. He advanced to the general election, where he lost to incumbent Democrat Katie Porter. He lost by 9,000 votes and was out-fundraised by Porter 28 million to 3 million.2024
Baugh was the Republican candidate for California's 47th congressional district in the 2024 election. The seat was open in 2024 as incumbent Katie Porter ran for a U.S. Senate seat, but lost. Baugh advanced from the March 2024 primary election, where he lost to Democrat Dave Min. He lost by approximately 10,000 votes, conceding on Twitter "It has become clear that despite running a strong campaign, connecting with voters, and mobilizing an incredible volunteer effort - that effort is going to come up a little short."Political positions
Abortion
After the Dobbs decision, Baugh has described abortion as a “state-by-state issue".In 2022, Baugh stated “Life begins at conception. Others may disagree as to precisely when life begins, but there should be no disagreement as to whether it is OK to abort children who have reached the point of viability. We need to promote a culture of life in America – not a culture of termination.”