Scott Baugh


Scott Randall Baugh is a Republican U.S. politician who served in the California State Assembly from 1995 to 2000, representing the 67th District in coastal Orange County, which included Huntington Beach, Cypress, Fountain Valley, La Palma, Los Alamitos, Seal Beach, Westminster, Rossmoor, Sunset Beach, Surfside, and Midway City. In March 2018, Baugh entered the "top two" primary race for California's 48th congressional district seat for the 2018 midterm elections held by Dana Rohrabacher. Baugh finished fourth. Republican Rohrabacher won the Republican nomination, and went on to lose the general election to Democrat Harley Rouda.

Early life

In 1962, Baugh was born in Redding, California. Baugh's parents are Helen and Cason Baugh. Baugh has four brothers.

Education

In 1984, Baugh earned his Bachelor of Science in business administration from Liberty University, graduating summa cum laude. In 1987, Baugh earned his Juris Doctor from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, where he finished fifth in a class of 200.

Career

Baugh became an attorney in Huntington Beach, California.

1995 Election

The state GOP considered Assembly Speaker Doris Allen unsuitable because of her alliances with Democrats. She was recalled in a Republican effort to open her seat to election. With her defeat, Republican Curt Pringle was named Assembly Speaker and Baugh ran as the Republican nominee for Allen's seat.
In order to hinder the popular Democratic challenger for Allen's seat, Linda Moulton-Patterson, the GOP recruited and supported relatively unknown Democrat Laurie Campbell, thus drawing off some Democratic votes in the election and allowing Baugh to win.
US Representative Dana Rohrabacher acknowledged that his campaign manager and future wife, Rhonda Carmony, had the main role in fostering Campbell's candidacy. She was named in court documents as the key instigator, and indicted on three felony charges of conspiracy and fraudulently filing Campbell's campaign ballot petitions.
Baugh’s chief of staff Maureen Werft, staff member Richard Martin and aide Jeffrey Christopher Gibson aided Campbell's campaign with support, filing and creating petitions. Current Assembly Speaker Curt Pringle’s deputy chief of staff Jeff Flint and his aide Mark Richard Denny, admitted that he also illegally circulated nominating petitions for Campbell.
Carmony, Werft, Martin, Gibson, Denny and Flint all pleaded guilty to falsification of documents and other charges. Rohrabacher was fined and Flint was not charged in the matter. Charges against Baugh were eventually dropped.
In November 1995, Baugh was elected to the Assembly and served as the Republican Leader from 1999 until 2000 when term limits forced him out of the Assembly.

2018 Congressional "Top Two" primary

RPOC

On April 19, 2004, Baugh was elected Chairman of the Republican Party of Orange County. He replaced Tom Fuentes. In January 2015, Baugh stepped down as Party Chair and was replaced by Fred Whitaker.
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.

Personal life

Baugh's wife is Wendy. They have a son, Jackson. Baugh lives in Huntington Beach, California.