He’s only 27, but Alabama A&M University graduate student Anthony Daniels Jr. said his education and civic work qualify him as a viable candidate for the District 7 Alabama Senate seat.
At a press conference he called at the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library Tuesday morning, Daniels said he wants to be elected to the seat – which is being vacated by Congressman-elect Parker Griffith – so he can work to decrease the high school dropout rate, train the work force for jobs currently in Huntsville and develop a light rail system to assist the thousands of workers on Redstone Arsenal.
And as a graduate of Alabama A&M’s elementary education department, he’s a young man with $58,000 in student loans, “and I want to help make college more affordable for the people who want to go.”
Daniels is currently working on his master’s degree in special education at Alabama A&M.
A Democrat, Daniels was elected in June 2006 as the first African-American male to serve as chairman for the National Education Association Student Program, representing more than 60,000 students nationwide.
In that capacity, Daniels said he became familiar with politics in Washington, D.C., and he served on committees that made recommendations to national government leaders on issues such as dropout prevention, Social Security preservation and pension concerns.
His campaign Web site, www.electanthonydaniels.com, shows photographs of him with former Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts and Vice President-elect Joe Biden of Delaware.
“As an educator, I can change the life of one child at a time,” Daniels said. “But as your leader, we can change the lives of millions.”
Daniels completed his student teaching at Jones Valley Elementary in 2005. He said he continues to serve as a volunteer reader at local elementary schools.
Political experience includes working on the campaign of Huntsville’s new mayor, Tommy Battle.
Daniels said he’s recently finished writing his memoir, “To Sweeten Alabama: A Story of Defying the Odds,” which will be available in January.
Two Republican candidates have also qualified for the election: restaurateur Paul Sanford and Roger Richardson, an urban economic development specialist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension at Alabama A&M University.
Democratic hopefuls who have yet to formally announce include state Reps. Laura Hall, D-Huntsville, Randy Hinshaw, D-Meridianville, and Steve Raby, owner of Direct Communications, a public relations firm that deals with economic development strategies.
The Senate primary election is set for March 3. If necessary, a runoff will be held April 21, and the general election is planned for June 9. The qualifying deadline is Jan. 6.
