Republican who sued NC House speaker over affair running for state Senate seat
A man at the center of one of the most salacious political scandals in the state this year says he’s running for a seat in North Carolina’s state legislature.
Scott Lassiter, who in June sued House Speaker Tim Moore over the fallout of an extramarital affair, announced Wednesday that he plans to run for one of the newly created state senate seats.
Lassiter said he’s running for the new 13th state Senate district, which encompasses much of southern Wake County. It has no incumbent. But on Thursday morning, Democratic state Sen. Lisa Grafstein announced that she plans to move to the district and run for the seat.
Legislators on Wednesday passed new election maps for North Carolina’s congressional, state house and state senate districts that’ll go into effect next year. The controversial process left some lawmakers lumped together and some districts without any representative. The redraw placed Grafstein's home in the same district as Democratic state Sen. Jay Chaudhuri, the minority whip.
Lassiter said his experience as an educator inspired his run for office. He works as an assistant principal for the Connections Academy, a public school that focuses on helping students grow to be academically competent and behaviorally responsible. He also serves on the Wake Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors, and served on the Apex Town Council from 2011 to 2015.
“As a practicing public school administrator at a school specially designed to support at-risk students, no one on Jones Street has the unique perspective, education, or experiences that I will bring to the discussion,” Lassiter said in the statement. “I am ready to serve. I’m ready to do what it takes to make our schools the pride of the nation.”
Grafstein is a lawyer for Disability Rights North Carolina, a nonprofit organization that advocates on behalf of people with disabilities. In her announcement Thursday, she vowed to prioritize children's education and safety.
"We want our kids to have a world class education and to have more opportunity than the generation that preceded them. We want to drop them off at school without fear that it’s the last hug we share," her statement said. "We want women to control our own bodies and our own future, without politicians forcing their way between us and our doctors. We want good paying jobs and housing that’s affordable. I can tell you this: none of these concerns or aspirations are priorities of Republicans in the North Carolina Senate."
Lassiter's announcement comes about four months after he claimed in a lawsuit that an affair between his wife and Moore destroyed the Lassiters’ marriage. Lassiter also claimed that Moore traded sex for political favors.
Moore has denied wrongdoing, and the case was settled out of court. Through a spokesperson, Moore declined to comment on Lassiter’s campaign announcement.
North Carolina is one of only a few states that allow jilted spouses to sue someone for interfering with their marriage. The cases are rare and hinge on the spouse’s ability to prove that a third party is responsible for the demise of the marriage.
Days after settling with Lassiter, Moore told reporters he wouldn’t seek another term as speaker. He won’t seek reelection next year and is instead considering a run for Congress.
Lassiter’s announcement comes only a year after he announced a run for a state house seat. He dropped out shortly after a court-ordered redistricting plan placed him in a district with another qualified Republican candidate.
