BAUGH STANDS BY CORRUPT ANDREW DO
“Andrew Do is the only candidate we trust and the only one endorsed by the Orange County Republican Party and he needs every one of our votes.” - Scott Baugh
IRVINE, CA — Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do is in hot water due to allegations of blatantly illegal political corruption — but his longtime ally Scott Baugh continues to steadfastly stand by him. Leaders across the county are calling for Do to step down amid allegations that his nonprofit embezzled millions in COVID relief funds. Yet Baugh has refused to comment on the situation, despite having glowingly endorsed Do in the past.
As reported by Hannah Kang at the Orange County Register: “Baugh, a former GOP Assemblymember and chair of the county Republican Party, has backed Do in the past. In a 2015 campaign mailer advertising Do’s candidacy in a special election for a board seat, Baugh, who was then serving as chair of the OC GOP said of Do: “Andrew Do is the only candidate we trust and the only one endorsed by the Orange County Republican Party and he needs every one of our votes.”
Baugh is no stranger to corruption, stemming back to allegations of illegal conduct during his time in the California Assembly, resulting in more than 20 criminal charges (including 4 felony counts), and his role as Orange County Republican Party Chair at a time when the OC GOP was caught up in a massive voter fraud scandal that led to 12 felony indictments.
“As the old saying goes, birds of a feather flock together, so it’s unsurprising that Scott Baugh– whose long political career has been marked by corruption and self-dealing– is standing by his longtime friend and fellow OC GOP crony Andrew Do,” said State Senator Dave Min, who is the Democratic nominee for CA-47 running against Baugh. “Voters deserve better than the same old political cronyism that has come to characterize the Orange County Republican Party. I’m proud to have authored SB 1111, which will crack down on exactly this type of corruption and help restore the public trust in our political institutions.”
SB 1111, which was recently signed into law by the Governor, was authored by Senator Min in the immediate aftermath of reports that Supervisor Do may have steered contracts to a nonprofit organization controlled by his daughter without disclosing her role or abstaining from the vote. SB 1111, titled the Restoring Public Trust Act, would require local officials to disclose when their child is a principal or significant owner of an organization receiving public contracts or public funds that the officials have influence over, and to abstain from voting on those contracts or funds.
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California’s 47th is an open DCCC Red To Blue Congressional District in Orange County that includes the Cities of Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Newport Beach, and Seal Beach, and portions of Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, and Laguna Woods. Incumbent Democratic Representative Katie Porter is not running for re-election. In 2022, Porter defeated former Assemblymember Republican Scott Baugh by 3.44% in this “toss up” district. State Senator Dave Min currently represents over 80% of Congressional District 47 in Sacramento. In 2020, Min received over 158,000 votes within CA-47, defeating incumbent John Moorlach by 5.15% in this area. 19% of the registered voters in CA-47 are of Asian and Pacific Islander descent, including one of the largest Korean-American populations in the country.