Danny Bedwell
Danny Bedwell (Libertarian Party) ran for election to the Mississippi State Senate to represent District 17. He lost in the general election on November 5, 2019.
Biography
Bedwell is a retired diver for the U.S. Navy. He is a Christian and a Libertarian.[1]
Elections
2019
See also: Mississippi State Senate elections, 2019
General election
General election for Mississippi State Senate District 17
Incumbent Charles Younger defeated DeWanna Belton and Danny Bedwell in the general election for Mississippi State Senate District 17 on November 5, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Charles Younger (R)  | 66.0 | 11,328 |
 | DeWanna Belton (D) | 31.7 | 5,444 | |
 | Danny Bedwell (L) | 2.3 | 398 | |
| Total votes: 17,170 | |||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Mississippi State Senate District 17
DeWanna Belton advanced from the Democratic primary for Mississippi State Senate District 17 on August 6, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | DeWanna Belton | 100.0 | 2,974 |
| Total votes: 2,974 | |||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Mississippi State Senate District 17
Incumbent Charles Younger advanced from the Republican primary for Mississippi State Senate District 17 on August 6, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Charles Younger | 100.0 | 8,397 |
| Total votes: 8,397 | |||
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2018
General election
General election for U.S. Senate Mississippi
Incumbent Roger Wicker defeated David Baria, Danny Bedwell, and Shawn O'Hara in the general election for U.S. Senate Mississippi on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Roger Wicker (R) | 58.5 | 547,619 |
 | David Baria (D) | 39.5 | 369,567 | |
| Danny Bedwell (L) | 1.4 | 12,981 | |
 | Shawn O'Hara (Reform Party) | 0.6 | 6,048 | |
| Total votes: 936,215 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary runoff election
Democratic primary runoff for U.S. Senate Mississippi
David Baria defeated Howard Sherman in the Democratic primary runoff for U.S. Senate Mississippi on June 26, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | David Baria | 58.6 | 44,156 |
| Howard Sherman | 41.4 | 31,149 | ||
| Total votes: 75,305 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Mississippi
The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Mississippi on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Howard Sherman | 31.8 | 27,957 | |
| ✔ | | David Baria | 31.0 | 27,244 |
 | Omeria Scott | 24.2 | 21,278 | |
| Victor Maurice Jr. | 5.0 | 4,361 | ||
| Jerone Garland | 4.9 | 4,266 | ||
 | Jensen Bohren | 3.2 | 2,825 | |
| Total votes: 87,931 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. Senate Mississippi
Incumbent Roger Wicker defeated Richard Boyanton in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Mississippi on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Roger Wicker | 82.8 | 130,118 |
 | Richard Boyanton | 17.2 | 27,052 | |
| Total votes: 157,170 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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2015
Bedwell did not end up making the ballot in 2015.[2]
2014
Bedwell ran in the 2014 election for the U.S. House to represent Mississippi's 1st District, but he lost in the general election to the incumbent, Nunnelee.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Alan Nunnelee Incumbent |
67.9% | 102,622 | |
| Democratic | Ron Dickey | 28.9% | 43,713 | |
| Libertarian | Danny Bedwell | 2.5% | 3,830 | |
| Reform | Lajena Walley | 0.6% | 946 | |
| Total Votes | 151,111 | |||
| Source: Mississippi Secretary of State Official Results | ||||
2012
Bedwell was defeated by incumbent Alan Nunnelee.[3] Bedwell ran in the 2012 election for the U.S. House to represent Mississippi's 1st District. As the nominee on the Libertarian ticket, he faced incumbent Alan Nunnelee (Republican), Brad Morris (Democratic), Jim R. Bourland (Constitution) and Chris Potts (Reform) in the November 2012 general election.[4]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Brad Morris | 36.9% | 114,076 | |
| Republican | Alan Nunnelee Incumbent |
60.4% | 186,760 | |
| Libertarian | Danny Bedwell | 1.2% | 3,584 | |
| Constitution | Jim R. Bourland | 0.8% | 2,390 | |
| Reform | Chris Potts | 0.8% | 2,367 | |
| Total Votes | 309,177 | |||
| Source: Mississippi Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" | ||||
Campaign themes
2019
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Danny Bedwell did not complete Ballotpedia's 2019 Candidate Connection survey.
2018
Campaign website
Bedwell's campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
Balancing Our Nation’s Budget Reckless levels of spending in Washington have been occurring for far too long. According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the size of government has grown by more than 49 percent in the last decade. To put this in perspective, the federal government spends more than $11,530 per person, over $3,700 more per individual than what we were spending in 2005. The fiscal crisis we face as a nation needs to be taken seriously and addressed with immediate action. According to the CBO, the budget deficit this year will be $414 billion. Meanwhile, the federal debt held by the public is 74 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP). If spending continues at the current rate, the CBO projects this will reach 100 percent of GDP by 2038. However, that figure does not include our obligation to trust funds like Social Security which Congress has been raiding for decades. Counting what we owe to these trust funds, our total (gross) debt profile is over $18 trillion and is already over 100 percent of GDP. The three largest drivers of spending, not including interest payments, are Medicare, Social Security, and Medicaid. The combined outlays for these programs have nearly doubled in the past forty years. Medicare and Medicaid alone have grown to such levels that after adjusting for inflation – the amount spent on these two programs is more than the entire federal budget in 1960. With the aging population of baby-boomers and the expansion of Medicaid under Obamacare, all three of these programs will continue to grow. Making matters worse, we continue to send foreign aid to countries abroad rather than prioritizing spending here at home. The United States spends roughly 35 percent of the $1.7 trillion spent worldwide on militaries and national defense. To put this into perspective, U.S. spending amounts to nearly 3.5 times what is spent in the entire Middle East; 2.8 times that of China; and 7 times what is spent in Russia. We have seen currencies and countries fall under their unsustainable debt. Interest on the debt this year alone is $261 billion, more than we spend on the Departments of Commerce, Energy, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Justice, State, the EPA, NASA, NSF, and the Small Business Administration, combined. While our national debt continues to grow, investors will become uncertain of the government’s willingness or ability to pay U.S. debt obligations. It is time that we get our fiscal house in order to prevent potential catastrophe and keep this outrageous national debt from falling on our children and grandchildren. The solution to the government’s fiscal crisis must begin by cutting spending in all areas, particularly in those areas that can be better run at the state or local level. As your senator I would work with anyone in Washington willing to achieve this goal. Protecting the 2nd Amendment The only legitimate use of force is in defense of individual rights—life, liberty, and justly acquired property—against aggression. This right inheres in the individual, who may agree to be aided by any other individual or group. As your Senator I would affirm the individual right recognized by the Second Amendment to keep and bear arms and oppose the prosecution of individuals for exercising their rights of self-defense. Private property owners should be free to establish their own conditions regarding the presence of personal defense weapons on their own property. I firmly oppose all laws at any level of government restricting, registering, or monitoring the ownership, manufacture, or transfer of firearms or ammunition. Economic Liberty All members of society should have abundant opportunities to achieve economic success. A free and competitive market allocates resources in the most efficient manner. Each person has the right to offer goods and services to others on the free market. The only proper role of government in the economic realm is to protect property rights, adjudicate disputes, and provide a legal framework in which voluntary trade is protected. All efforts by government to redistribute wealth, or to control or manage trade, are improper in a free society. As respect for property rights is fundamental to maintaining a free and prosperous society, it follows that the freedom to contract to obtain, retain, profit from, manage, or dispose of one’s property must also be upheld. As your Senator I would work to free property owners from government restrictions on their rights to control and enjoy their property, as long as their choices do not harm or infringe on the rights of others. Eminent domain, civil asset forfeiture, governmental limits on profits, governmental production mandates, and governmental controls on prices of goods and services (including wages, rents, and interest) are abridgments of such fundamental rights. For voluntary dealings among private entities, parties should be free to choose with whom they trade and set whatever trade terms are mutually agreeable. Simply put, I support free markets. I will defend the right of individuals to form corporations, cooperatives and other types of entities based on voluntary association. As a Senator, I would oppose all forms of government subsidies and bailouts to business, labor, or any other special interest. Government should not be in the business of choosing winners and losers in the marketplace. Employment and compensation agreements between private employers and employees are outside the scope of government, and these contracts should not be encumbered by government-mandated benefits or social engineering. I would support the right of private employers and employees to choose whether or not to bargain with each other through a labor union. Bargaining should be free of government interference, such as compulsory arbitration or imposing an obligation to bargain. Criminal Justice Reform The prescribed role of government is to protect the rights of every individual including the right to life, liberty and property. Criminal laws should be limited in their application to violations of the rights of others through force, fraud, or engaging in acts of gross negligence. As your Senator, I would favor the repeal of all laws creating “crimes” without victims, such as the use of drugs for medicinal or recreational purposes. I support restitution to the victim to the fullest degree possible at the expense of the criminal or the negligent wrongdoer. Civil Asset Forfeiture is the government process of confiscating an individual’s property or money on the grounds of only suspicion of breaking the law. This process is done with total disregard to our American right to due process. I would immediately move to cease such practices in all levels possible. The constitutional rights of the criminally accused, including due process, a speedy trial, legal counsel, trial by jury, and the legal presumption of innocence until proven guilty, must be preserved. Ending the War on Drugs Ending the war on drugs is extremely important. People who suffer from addiction should have their problem treated as a medical issue instead of as a criminal one. Nearly one third of all people in jails and prisons are nonviolent drug offenders, who only made a choice to affect their own bodies. More than half of those incarcerated for nonviolent drug offenses was for the use or possession of marijuana. Legalization of marijuana would eliminate 1/6 of jail residency. Then we could shift the focus and resources to treating addiction. With the freed up resources, we can help rehabilitate those who suffer from addiction. Then our neighbors once afflicted by addiction can rejoin society and help contribute to their communities once again. Legalization of Marijuana It is my belief that marijuana should not only be legal for medicinal purposes, but it should also be legal for recreational use. Obviously, I believe that similar restrictions like impaired driving and age limits should be in effect. It is time for the stigma of marijuana use to fall to the wayside. Ending the Drug War on marijuana will take away the cash flow crop from the cartels in Mexico. In turn, we will see a decrease in violence at the border. Legalization also has the potential to create thousands of jobs in the United States. This will improve the economy drastically. The money being spent will no longer be spent underground in a violent black market. Instead, the sale of marijuana products will be treated no differently than the sale of alcohol. Drug Users Are Not Criminals Most drug users are not criminals. They are people who unfortunately started using a substance that is addictive and harmful. One thing we need to look at is rehabilitation for people who want to break the cycle and become whole again. We spend approximately $33,000 per year to just lock someone up for engaging in drug use. This takes care of a temporary symptom but does nothing to cure the disease. Putting peaceful individuals in prison for drug can only make their life worse. Once these people are released from jail, their criminal record makes it much harder to become a productive member of society again. When you have drug charges on your record, it is difficult, at best, to find gainful employment. We should focus on helping those afflicted by addiction with the money normally spent on incarceration. The current system we have ruins lives of otherwise peaceful individuals. All Americans have the desire to improve their quality of life. Let’s better use our resources to help those who are struggling with addiction, instead of locking someone up in a cage. We can offer hope of a real future to those who want to break away from the bonds of addiction. Let’s treat our struggling neighbors like humans instead of like a stain on society.[5] |
” |
| —Danny Bedwell's campaign website (2018)[6] | ||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of 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. 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.
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Bedwell is married and has one daughter.[7]
See also
2019 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Bedwell for Congress, "About," accessed March 8, 2012
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedspecial15 - ↑ Politico, "2012 Election Map, Mississippi"
- ↑ WAPT 16, "Unofficial Mississippi Primary Results," March 13, 2012
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Danny Bedwell's campaign website, "The Issues," accessed October 19, 2018
- ↑ Bedwell for Congress, "About," accessed March 8, 2012
