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A Raleigh City Council candidate’s campaign Facebook account engaged in a bizarre series of messages with a resident and member of the NC Democratic Party Executive Committee this week.
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Candidate Marc Scruggs’ account was messaging Alex LaFond in response to a direct message LaFond had sent him on Facebook.
LaFond said he considers some of the messages threats and harassment, but he does not plan to report anything to police.
“Am at your door,” one message reads.
Others call LaFond a “punk a—,” and “beer bellied woosie.”
It’s unclear if those messages are legitimate.
Scruggs did not answer emailed questions on Wednesday to his campaign email address or to the phone number on his campaign finance report, including asking if the messages were legitimate.
The News & Observer on Thursday contacted Scruggs’ campaign treasurer, Richard Flynn, who said Scruggs was on vacation but that he had informed Scruggs of The N&O’s questions.
The N&O again attempted to contact Scruggs on Thursday — including leaving a note at his home — but he did not respond.
Scruggs is set to face City Council member Christina Jones for the District E seat in the Nov. 3 election, and other comments posted from his account include some that Jones believes characterized her views on Palestine as supporting “terrorists.”
Jones introduced a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza to the council in 2024. It didn’t pass.
“The racism of saying I am a terrorism supporter,” Jones said. “He’s trying to make the conversation a culture war of all the different wars that are going on. I’m embarrassed that I’m even part of this conversation. Embarrassed that he even did that.”
Scruggs previously served two terms on the council from 1995 to 1999, according to his campaign website.
During that time, he was an early advocate for reopening Fayetteville Street — then a pedestrian mall — to traffic, according to an IndyWeek story from 2006. The street ultimately reopened to cars in 2006.
Now, he’s focusing on prioritizing public safety by adding police officers and increasing their pay, according to his Facebook account’s previous posts.
He’s also worked for Briggs Hardware and Brown-Wynne Funeral Home in Raleigh, according to his website.
LaFond asked Scruggs in an Aug. 6 direct message on Facebook “So whens your next public appearance?”
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Scruggs’ account responded later that day saying “When can I assure you’ll be there. With a check that will not bounce.”
LaFond told The N&O in an interview Wednesday that his Aug. 6 message was the first time, in message, email or any other format, he’d directly contacted Scruggs. He said he wanted to know more about his ideas for office and that he hadn’t been able to speak with Scruggs in person.
But LaFond said he has engaged Scruggs before in the comments sections of Scruggs’ campaign-centered Facebook account, though those weren’t direct messages.
On one of Scrugg’s election-related Facebook posts earlier this year, for example, LaFond commented that Scruggs should “just go back into retirement.”
After Scruggs’ account later responded to his direct message on Tuesday, LaFond took a screenshot of the exchange and posted it on Facebook.
LaFond also asked voters to support Jones in the race.
A few minutes later, Scruggs’ account started commenting publicly on LaFond’s Facebook post.
“Come on my good friend,” Scruggs’ account wrote. “Show the public how chicken and what a we little boy. Be jogging tomorrow. Right behind the CCC at eight. Meet me?”
When LaFond stopped engaging, Scruggs’ account started sending him numerous direct messages.
“Come on,” Scruggs’ account wrote in one message. “Look out your door.”
Another message said “Come on baby! Jogging in the AM. Join me you big f’n woosie.”
Eventually, LaFond said “you have communicated violence, harassment, and stalking.”
Scruggs’ account continued messaging LaFond after that point, sending him another four messages. LaFond told The N&O that the messages stopped at 11:24 p.m. Tuesday.
LaFond said he doesn’t plan to report the threats or behavior to police unless something further comes of it.
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“I don’t believe there’s any sort of credible threat,” LaFond said.
This story was originally published August 14, 2026 at 2:41 PM.