 Louis-Philippe McGraw began his involvement in politics as a Liberal and was youth chair of Bernard Richard's unsuccessful bid for the Liberal leadership in 1998.He joined the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick and was elected to the 54th New Brunswick Legislative Assembly in 1999 to represent the electoral district of Centre-Péninsule.He was defeated in a bid for re-election in 2003 by Denis Landry, whom McGraw had defeated in 1999.