[15] As chair, MacLeod led on regional co-governance measures including the appointment of iwi representatives to council committees.

[18] After his re-election in 2019, a rival candidate complained to the Auditor-General that council advertising featuring MacLeod's image had given him an unfair advantage.

[24][25] MacLeod's election to the board was controversial because although he occupied a farmer-representative position he was not a farmer, and because the Taranaki Regional Council he chaired had recently invested in Fonterra bonds.

[2] When his campaign was announced, MacLeod identified Taranaki roads, increasing the number of immigrants available to the workforce, and the oil and gas industry as areas he was keen to work on when in parliament.

[6] During the campaign he ran afoul of signage rules by placing his signs outside the designated timeframe and using incorrect font sizes.

[29] MacLeod was listed low on the party list at 67 out of 74, due to the expectation he would win his electorate; it was a placement that former MP and political editor Claudette Hauiti said should have McLeod "fuming", but which he said was "irrelevant" as it showed the party was confident he would win the electoral seat.

[30][31] On election night MacLeod beat incumbent Labour MP Glen Bennett by a margin of 6,991 votes.

MacLeod maintained that his failure to declare the donations was a genuine mistake and stated that he hope the investigation would make it clear that he did not intend to deceive anyone.