Danny McCullars

Democratic Party

Candidate, Alabama State Senate District 12

Elections and appointments

Next election

November 8, 2022

Education

Bachelor's

Jacksonville State University, 1988

Personal

Birthplace

Anniston, Ala.

Religion

Christian

Profession

Certified public accountant

Contact

Campaign Facebook

Personal Facebook

Personal Twitter

Personal LinkedIn

Danny McCullars (Democratic Party) is running for election to the Alabama State Senate to represent District 12. He is on the ballot in the general election on November 8, 2022. The Democratic primary for this office on May 24, 2022, was canceled.

McCullars completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.

## Contents

* 1 Biography
* 2 Elections
* 2.1 2022
* 3 Campaign themes
* 3.1 2022
* 4 See also
* 5 External links
* 6 Footnotes

## Biography[edit]

Danny McCullars was born in Anniston, Alabama. He earned a bachelor's degree from Jacksonville State University in 1988. His career experience includes working as a certified public accountant. McCullars has been affiliated with the Government Finance Officers Association and AICPA.[1]

## Elections[edit]

### 2022[edit]

See also: Alabama State Senate elections, 2022

General election

The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

##### General election for Alabama State Senate District 12

Danny McCullars and Keith Kelley are running in the general election for Alabama State Senate District 12 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate

|

| Danny McCullars (D)

| Keith Kelley (R)

* * *

There are no incumbents in this race.

|

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary runoff election

#####  Republican primary runoff for Alabama State Senate District 12

Keith Kelley defeated Wendy Ghee Draper in the Republican primary runoff for Alabama State Senate District 12 on June 21, 2022.

Candidate

Votes

|
|
|

✔ |

| Keith Kelley |

55.2

| 6,450

| Wendy Ghee Draper |

44.8

| 5,230

* * *

There were no incumbents in this race. Source

| Total votes: 11,680
(95.00% precincts reporting)

|
|

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Danny McCullars advanced from the Democratic primary for Alabama State Senate District 12.

Republican primary election

#####  Republican primary for Alabama State Senate District 12

Wendy Ghee Draper and Keith Kelley advanced to a runoff. They defeated Wayne Willis in the Republican primary for Alabama State Senate District 12 on May 24, 2022.

Candidate

Votes

|
|
|

✔ |

| Wendy Ghee Draper |

39.3

| 7,078
✔ |

| Keith Kelley |

35.4

| 6,378

| Wayne Willis |

25.3

| 4,549

* * *

There were no incumbents in this race. Source

| Total votes: 18,005

|
|

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

## Campaign themes[edit]

### 2022[edit]

#### Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Danny McCullars completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by McCullars' responses.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Certified Public Accountant #5790 (Alabama). Fifteen years direct financial management of political subdivisions including Alabama and Georgia cities and school board. I am in public practice having served over 250 small and medium businesses, non-profits and governments. My CPA board requires 40 continuing education hours annually with two in ethics. I am asking my constituents to 1. Hire and trust me to fiscally analyze budgets and expenses and make sound arguments for the future, and 2. Expect that I will turn to the district on personal values and carry the will of the people to Montgomery. I believe society begins with public education, and our chance at broad, wide ranging success ends with public education. It’s time Alabamians recognize a one party system is a prerequisite to authoritarian rule. The founders gave us a Republic. A Republic without a binary choice in November will fail in the end. Government is quite often common sense. However, common sense often eludes our government.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

* Choice between two parties is needed for a republic.
* Public education must work.
* District values will come with me to Montgomery.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Health. Alabama is one of twelve states not expanding Medicaid and 300,000 lack access to comprehensive care. Health providers (pharmacists, nurse practitioners, etc have a vital role in ensuring access and affordable care.

Public Education. The Legislature must demand school boards and the department of education are transparent and engaging. Public education is the greatest opportunity for wide ranging success, but accountability must be front of mind and districts must engage at high levels.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

MLK. Courage without regard to personal sacrifice. Some things are bigger than the individual.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

“It Was All a Lie” Evolution of GOP from 1980-2018 book.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Ensuring access to government services. Representing the values of constituents. Use expertise to keep fiscal house in order.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Distaste of government waste, fraud, and ambivalence. Overreach in personal lives.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Careful thought and consideration. Ensuring agencies are led by dynamic, qualified people.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I helped recover a Republic.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Moon landing. Five.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

CPA. Six years.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Willy Wonka

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Fleetwood Mac Queen

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

The Governor should be encouraged to have her priorities introduced. However, consensus can only come from vigorous debate.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Fielding a qualified workforce therefore recruitment of industry. Increasing intrusion into personal matters by the legislature contributes to the above.

What are the benefits and drawbacks of a unicameral state legislature, in your opinion?

Unicameral legislature may push bills through more efficiently, but without proper consideration. The Senate is here to thoughtfully slow things down and see a broader picture.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Yes. Having been on the administrative side I see inefficiency and waste. The Alabama legislature should hold agencies much more accountable.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Absolutely. This cohesion is how a bill gets properly debated at face value.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

Independent commission.

If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Health Governmental Relations Education Confirmations

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Billy Beasley

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

A story of healthcare bankruptcy. If a sudden serious medical condition strikes, we fail as a society if access is denied because of insurance status.

Should the legislature oversee or grant the use of emergency powers?

Grant. Emergency powers are by definition an executive function.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Enduring policies must have broad based support. Compromise is absolutely necessary but increasingly difficult in these conspiracy days.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

## See also[edit]

2022 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

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Newsletters

The Heart of the Primaries The Daily Brew The Weekly Brew The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Hall Pass Number of the Day Robe & Gavel Union Station

## External links[edit]

* Search Google News for this topic

Candidate

Alabama State Senate District 12

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Personal

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|

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on March 16, 2022.

[show]

Current members of the Alabama State Senate

Leadership

Majority Leader:Greg Reed

Senators

District 1

Tim Melson (R)

District 2

Tom Butler (R)

District 3

Arthur Orr (R)

District 4

Garlan Gudger (R)

District 5

Greg Reed (R)

District 6

Larry Stutts (R)

District 7

Sam Givhan (R)

District 8

Steve Livingston (R)

District 9

Clay Scofield (R)

District 10

Andrew Jones (R)

District 11

Jim McClendon (R)

District 12

Del Marsh (R)

District 13

Randy Price (R)

District 14

April Weaver (R)

District 15

Dan Roberts (R)

District 16

J.T. Waggoner (R)

District 17

Shay Shelnutt (R)

District 18

Rodger Smitherman (D)

District 19

Priscilla Dunn (D)

District 20

Linda Coleman-Madison (D)

District 21

Gerald Allen (R)

District 22

Greg Albritton (R)

District 23

Malika Sanders-Fortier (D)

District 24

Bobby Singleton (D)

District 25

Will Barfoot (R)

District 26

Kirk Hatcher (D)

District 27

Tom Whatley (R)

District 28

Billy Beasley (D)

District 29

Donnie Chesteen (R)

District 30

Clyde Chambliss (R)

District 31

Jimmy Holley (R)

District 32

Chris Elliott (R)

District 33

Vivian Figures (D)

District 34

Jack Williams (R)

District 35

David Sessions (R)

Republican Party (27)

Democratic Party (8)

v • e

State of Alabama
Montgomery (capital)

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