Daniel Duncan

Daniel Duncan was born in Searcy, Arkansas. Duncan earned a bachelor's degree from Arkansas State University in 2004. His career experience includes working as a truck driver, restaurant manager, and substitute teacher.[1]

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I'm a working truck driver and former restaurant manager that is tired of not seeing working class people represented in the halls of power.

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?

Fix our crumbling, pothole-ridden infrastructure with all available resources, except a gas tax that hurts the working people the most.Pay teachers a living wage, and increase funding to allow for smaller class sizes.Expand Medicaid to cover the 200,000 uninsured and underinsured citizens of the state, and also increase healthcare jobs across the state.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

As a truck driver, I cannot stand to drive on our roads. Whether it's in my personal vehicle or my work truck, I have to make sure I only hit the shallow potholes, because I'm never going to miss them all. Just back in March, a guy popped both right tires near my house from a single pothole, and that kind of damage is incredibly common. The people in the legislature now may not think twice about getting a new set of tires, but that's real money to the regular working citizen. Having the gas tax pay for roads also makes no sense, because that puts all the burden on the people forced to drive the cars with the worst efficiency. These people have to get back and forth to work everyday with stagnant wages, but are also the primary source of the funding of gas tax. The fact that this also takes a larger percentage of the working class' money is just another twist of the knife.

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

I greatly appreciate people like Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Cori Bush, who both came from underprivileged backgrounds. Their tireless work to represent the working class inspires me to want to make a difference for people that typically cannot afford to run for office.

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

It sounds cliché but honesty seems to be in short supply these days. I think most people try to be honest most of the time, but politicians love to distract from day to day issues with enraging nonsense. This seems to be because they can't have a genuine conversation about why their ideas are better for the public. I hope that my lack of a poker face will be refreshing for my constituency.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I've always wanted to be known as a good person. I don't need to achieve greatness, because for so many that is not attainable. Having grown up eating beans, potatoes and soda bread because we couldn't afford meat every night, I am happy to be solidly middle class. I also don't feel the need to perform great feats for people, because most of the time people only need a little help. So it makes more sense for me to help people move house, or buy some groceries for them, or give a panhandler a $20 bill than it would for me to build a house or give away a car. If I can do enough small acts of kindness often enough to encourage other people to do the same, I think that will be enough.

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

I remember the election of George H W Bush in 1988 when I was six years old. My parents were always politically aware, and I remember the parodies of Michael Dukakis riding in the tank. At the time, I was going through a rebellious phase and said that I support Bush, though this may have been due to my inability to pronounce Dukakis properly.

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

I started at Taco Bell in Searcy, Arkansas the week after I turned 16. I only had the job 6 months because I was behind the curve getting my driver's license and was no longer able to get other people to drive me 20+ miles one way. I was also being exploited by being scheduled to open the store for four hours, then sent off shift for 4+ hours, and then having to return for 4+hours sometimes up to closing time. My entire day was eaten up by these shifts but I was only compensated for the busy hours.

What is your favorite book? Why?

"Jingo" by Terry Pratchett. I absolutely adore all of the Discworld Series, particularly the books devoted to the City Watch. They display a crowd of misfits trying to do a fair job enforcing laws, in an unfair society. This particular book reflects on a war brewing on Discworld, and the Watch's struggle to keep it from occurring.

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

Anyone that replies anything besides Superman is lying. He's a boring character because he's perfectly powerful and virtuous. But deep down I think that's what most of us want to be.

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

Thanks to the last question, "Be Enough" from the Hamilton Original Cast Recording is on a loop in my brain. I fell in love with that album as soon as it was released and would often play it on repeat while moving trailers at the auto factory.

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

Ideally one would want them to be from the same party with the same agenda, working in tandem for the good of the state. However, should there be opposition, the governor is charged with executing the laws of the state, and by that logic is subject to the will of the legislature.

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

We absolutely must invest in renewable and revitalizing energy projects to begin reversing Climate Change. While this is definitely everyone's problem, we can and must be a leader in this area. We live on the coast and are subject to severe hurricanes, as well as severe weather from the interior of the country. If South Carolinians are to have any safety and security in their lives, the environment has to be a priority.

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

It's important to have a cordial relationship with any work colleague. I don't particularly like many of the drivers I work with, but I want them to leave my truck in good condition, so I try to do the same for them. So while I may abhor some of the views of my potential coworkers in the Legislature, I will make a good faith effort to be kind and respectful until given a reason not to.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

I favor an independent bipartisan commission in order to avoid gerrymandering. Districts ought to reflect both the local population's votes and the overall state voting record. When a state can vote 65% for one party, but that party only represents 40% of the districts, it's obvious that the will of the voters is not being respected.

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

Education and Public Works

Ethics

Labor, Commerce, and Industry

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

I was on the fence about even running for this office, but I couldn't stand to see a race go uncontested for the thirst straight general election. Should that be the case for a higher profile race in the future, I'm likely to make a similar decision, whether I win this election or not.

Tell us your favorite joke.

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

Life is unpredictable, and the deliberative process takes time. So it is necessary to allow a single individual to be delegated emergency powers and resources should something happen that requires immediate action. These powers must be limited in duration and budget, so that the delegated authority doesn't exercise tyranny, but the premise of emergency powers isn't inherently tyrannical.

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

Compromise is a key strategy because no one is ever going to accurately reflect the needs and desires of an entire constituency. However, Democrats have for far too long been willing to start negotiations at the halfway point and then get pulled farther to the right. We must be willing to stand up for our actual values and let the Republicans stand for theirs. If there is common ground, I'm happy to meet there.