In 2016 he was encouraged to give back to the county and ran for Currituck County Commissioner. He was elected and chosen as Chair of the County Commission. On the Commission, Hanig has held the line on government spending and has spent his time focused on strengthening the local economy. After finding discrepancies in financial reports, Hanig ordered a financial review of the Currituck school district's finances to determine if taxpayer money was being spent wisely.

Hanig says that his focus in the House of Representatives would be on working with other conservatives to reduce wasteful government spending, cut the red tape that hurts local businesses, lower taxes, and create jobs in the area.