Charlie Daniels
Charlie Daniels (born December 7, 1939, in El Dorado, Arkansas) is the former Arkansas Auditor of State. Daniels was elected on November 2, 2010.[1] Daniels announced in May 2013 that he would not seek another term as auditor in 2014. Instead, the 74-year-old former Arkansas state lands commissioner and secretary of state retired to spend more time with his family.[2] His term expired on January 13, 2015, and he was succeeded by Andrea Lea (R).
Biography
Daniels was born and raised in Arkansas, and he remained there for his undergraduate studies at South Arkansas University and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Before entering politics, Daniels served in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Air Force Reserves. In 1996, 12 years after winning his first statewide race, for Commissioner of State Lands, Daniels was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from Shorter College in North Little Rock.[3]
Aside from his duties as an elected official, Daniels has chaired the Capitol Arts and Grounds Commission, served on the Board of the Information Network of Arkansas and as a member of the National Association of Secretaries of State, and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers-Local 1703.
Daniels first started out in politics as a member of the Parker's Chapel School Board. He relocated to central Arkansas when then-Governor David Pryor appointed him Director of the Arkansas Department of Labor in 1974. He was re-appointed to the position when Bill Clinton began his first term as the state's governor. For four years beginning in 1980, he was the Director of Government Affairs for the Arkansas Electric Cooperatives.
Education
- South Arkansas University
- University of Arkansas at Little Rock
- Honorary Doctorate Degree in Humane Letters honoris causa, Shorter College, 1996
Political career
Arkansas Auditor of State (2011-2015)
After two terms as secretary of state, Daniels decided to change to another statewide office. He ran successfully for Arkansas Auditor of State in the 2010 elections, and was sworn in the following January.[4] Daniels declined to seek re-election as state auditor in 2014 was succeeded by Andrea Lea in January 2015.
Secretary of State (2002-2010)
Daniels served as the Democratic Arkansas Secretary of State from 2002 until 2010. State term limit laws barred him from running for a third term in office.
Commissioner of State Lands (1984-2002)
In 1984, Daniels was elected as Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands. He was subsequently re-elected to four-year terms in 1986, 1990, 1994 and 1998.
Elections
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| U.S. Congress |
|---|
| State executive officials |
| State legislatures |
| Elections |
2014
Daniels was eligible for re-election as Arkansas Auditor, but decided to retire at the end of his term rather than run again in 2014. At 74, Daniels decided to spend more time with his family rather than seek another four year term in statewide office, thus ending his tenure tracing back to his first election as commissioner of state lands in 1984, a post which he held until 2002. In 2002, he became Secretary of State and served in that position until being elected auditor in 2010.[5]
2010
- 2010 Auditor Race - General election
- Charlie Daniels defeated Green party opponent Mary Hughes-Willis with 70.65% of the vote.
| Arkansas Auditor of State, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Charlie Daniels |
70.6% | 506,606 | |
| Green | Mary Hughes-Willis | 29.4% | 210,476 | |
| Total Votes | 717,082 | |||
| Election results via US Election Atlas | ||||
2006
- 2006 Race for Secretary of State - Democratic Primary
- Charlie Daniels ran unopposed
- General
| Arkansas Secretary of State, 2006 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Charlie Daniels |
61.6% | 468,548 | |
| Republican | Jim Lagrone | 35.4% | 269,766 | |
| Green | Ralph Scully | 3% | 22,773 | |
| Total Votes | 761,087 | |||
| Election results via US Election Atlas | ||||
2002
- 2002 Race for Secretary of State - Democratic Primary
- Charlie Daniels ran unopposed
- General
| Arkansas Secretary of State, 2002 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Charlie Daniels |
62.1% | 492,621 | |
| Republican | Janet Huckabee | 37.9% | 300,293 | |
| Total Votes | 792,914 | |||
| Election results via US Election Atlas | ||||
Campaign contributions
The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may not represent all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer, and campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
| Charlie Daniels campaign contribution history | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Office | Result | Contributions | |
| 2010 | Arkansas State Auditor |  |
$160,682 | |
| 2006 | Arkansas Secretary of State | |
$247,943 | |
| 2002 | Arkansas Secretary of State | |
$187,528 | |
| Grand total raised | $596,153 | |||
| Source: [[6][7] Follow the Money] | ||||
2002, 2006, 2010
Ballotpedia collects information on campaign donors for each year in which a candidate or incumbent is running for election. See the table below for more information about the campaign donors who supported Charlie Daniels.[8] Click [show] for more information.
| Charlie Daniels Campaign Contributions | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 Auditor | 2006 Secretary of State | 2002 Secretary of State | |||||||||||||||||
| Total raised | $1,405,030 | $247,943 | $187,528 | ||||||||||||||||
| Total raised by opponents | $0 | $197,442 (Republican) | $260,714 (Republican) | ||||||||||||||||
| Top 5 contributors | Matt Kiel and Brady Paddock and Robyn Thornell | $4,000 each | Arkansas Democratic Party | $5,000 | Arkansas Democratic Party | $2,500 | |||||||||||||
| John C Goodson and Michael S Morton | $4,000 each | International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers | $4,000 | Craighead County Democratic Central Committee | $2,000 | ||||||||||||||
| Keil & Goodson | $4,000 | Tim Herron | $4,000 | Arkansas Realtors Association | $2,000 | ||||||||||||||
| Mike Angelovich and Jeffery Angelovich | $4,000 each | Crag D Campbell and Michael S Morton | $3,000 each | Poinsett County Democratic Central Committee | $1,400 | ||||||||||||||
| Melissa Keil and Brad Beckworth | $4,000 each | International Paper | $2,500 | Food & Commercial Workers Local 2008 | $1,250 | ||||||||||||||
| Individuals | $65,475 | $136,393 | $87,740 | ||||||||||||||||
| Institutions | $7,600 | $74,175 | $51,341 | ||||||||||||||||
| In-state donations | $54,445 | $205,943 | $173,228 | ||||||||||||||||
| Out-of-state donations | $24,950 | $42,000 | $14,300 | ||||||||||||||||
Noteworthy events
Nick Wilson
Arkansas Watch reported that Charlie Daniels had ties to former State Senator Nick Wilson, who was convicted of defrauding Arkansas taxpayers out of millions of dollars meant for disadvantaged children. As director of the Department of Labor in 1980, Daniels invested state funds in two banks within Nick Wilson's home district, one of which he owned stock in. The Planters and Stockman Bank of Pocahontas received $50,000 in Arkansas state funds for a certificate of deposit. Not only did Wilson own stock in the bank, his law partner, Murray Grider, served as attorney for the bank. Both Charlie Daniels and Nick Wilson maintained that the deposits arose from a chance meeting at Charlie Daniels' state office.
Another connection, also in 1980, involved Daniels collaborating with Wilson in securing a state consulting contract for Philip Ledbetter, part-owner with Wilson in International Safety Consultants Inc., which had first been formed by Wilson's law partner, Murray Grider. Ledbetter was told by Wilson to apply for a contract with the Worker’s Compensation Commission, which, in addition to the state legislature's Joint Performance Review Committee, was demanding more data in relation to claims resulting from accidents in public agency positions. Ledbetter was granted the contract. When he tried to apply for another consulting contract, his request was declined, due largely in part to the shortage in funds. Charlie Daniels and the Labor Department tried to find a way around this, requesting $64,000 to fund the contract through the Ozarks Regional Commission (ORC). It was during this time that the name of the company owned by Ledbetter was changed to Project Systems, Inc. Julie McDonald, Governor Clinton’s aid for ORC projects, turned down the request partly because the company listed no telephone number. When McDonald asked for a public presentation, Project Systems withdrew their application.[9]
Audit of travel expenses
A new law written in 1979 called for the establishment of a system for reimbursement for travel expenses, largely as a means of reducing the use of state-government credit cards. A state agency under the new law could set aside a sum from its regular appropriations for this purpose. Any employee of that agency that requested travel money in advance would obtain a loan from the fund. The employee would then get a reimbursement check after filing an expense report, which would then be used to repay the loan. These loans were to made out only for individual trips on state business by state employees who required a cash advance. The rule required that these loans be repaid when the employee received reimbursement for the expenses of that single trip. Daniels, as head of the state's labor department, had authorized an advance of $495 to himself that he did not intend to pay back until after several trips, believing it to have 'made more sense' for him to have done it that way. Audits conducted by the Legislative Joint Auditing Committee and the state Finance & Administration Department in December 1980 revealed that out of the $5,000 that had been authorized for the department's travel fund, about $2,600 was outstanding. Of the outstanding amount, $1,250 were in December loans alone.
The same day the audit report came out, Daniels announced he had submitted his resignation to the newly elected governor, Frank White.
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Daniels currently resides in Bryant, Arkansas. He was married to the late-Patricia Ann Burleson for 46 years. The couple had two children together, Marsha and Chuck. Daniels now has four grandsons and two granddaughters. He is also a practicing Baptist.[3]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Charlie + Daniels + Arkansas + Auditor"
See also
- Arkansas Auditor of State
- Governor of Arkansas
- Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas
- Attorney General of Arkansas
- Arkansas Secretary of State
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Arkansas Auditor's Office, "Meet Charlie" accessed September 20, 2012
- ↑ thecitywire.com, "Arkansas’ Charlie Daniels to retire from politics," May 6, 2013
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Office of the Auditor, "Meet Charlie," accessed March 8, 2012
- ↑ KATV Channel 7 "Daniels Says He is Running for Arkansas Auditor" 25 July, 2009
- ↑ thecitywire.com, "Arkansas’ Charlie Daniels to retire from politics," May 6, 2013
- ↑ Follow the Money, "Career fundraising for Charlie Daniels, Secretary of State," accessed July 8, 2013
- ↑ Follow the Money, "Career fundraising for Charlie Daniels, Auditor," accessed July 8, 2013
- ↑ Follow the Money.org, "Home," accessed May 7, 2021
- ↑ Arkansas Watch, "Charlie Daniels' Ties to Nick Wilson go Deep" 20 March, 2006
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by ' |
Arkansas Auditor of State 2011-2015 |
Succeeded by Andrea Lea (R) |
| Preceded by Sharon Priest |
Arkansas Secretary of State 2002–2010 |
Succeeded by Mark Martin (R) |
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