McKinney has combined practical political experience with his training as a political communication scholar, having served as a staff member in the U.S. Senate and at the White House. He has served as a consultant to C-SPAN and also the U.S. Commission on Presidential Debates, advising the Commission on how debates might be structured in order to better educate voters. He also served as an adviser for the Korean government as officials planned their 2002 televised presidential debates. McKinney has provided expert political commentary for such national media as The New York Times, USA Today, CNN and NPR.