Daniel Frederick Chittenden Soucek (born April 22, 1969) is a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

former member of the

North Carolina Senate The North Carolina Senate is the upper chamber of the North Carolina General Assembly, which along with the North Carolina House of Representatives—the lower chamber—comprises the state legislature of North Carolina. The term of office for e ...

, who represented the State's 45th district. During his time in office, the 45th District included

Alexander Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

, Ashe,

Watauga Watauga can refer to: ;Places *Watauga, Kentucky * Watauga County, North Carolina * Watauga, South Dakota * Watauga, Tennessee * Watauga, Texas ;Bodies of Water * Watauga Lake in Tennessee * The Watauga River in North Carolina and Tennessee ;Shi ...

and Wilkes counties (2011 - 2012) and after redistricting, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Caldwell and Watauga counties. On April 8, 2016, Soucek announced his immediate resignation. In December 2015 he had said he would not seek re-election, citing the desire to spend more time with his family. He served three terms in the North Carolina Senate.

Background

Dan Soucek was born in Westfield, New Jersey in 1969. He graduated from the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

in 1991 and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in Army Aviation. He was on active duty for over eight years and served in a variety of leadership positions including Company Commander of the International Student Office at

Fort Rucker Fort Rucker is a U.S. Army post located primarily in Dale County, Alabama, United States. It was named for a Civil War officer, Confederate General Edmund Rucker. The post is the primary flight training installation for U.S. Army Aviators and ...

in Alabama. After resigning his commission in 1999 he moved to

Boone, North Carolina Boone is a town in and the county seat of Watauga County, North Carolina, United States. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina, Boone is the home of Appalachian State University and the headquarters for the disaster a ...

to assume the role of

Young Life Young Life is an evangelical Christian organization based in Colorado Springs, Colorado which focuses on young people in middle school, high school, and college. Week-long Summer camps are a major focus, and these have a definite evangelizing asp ...

Area Director for Watauga, Ashe, and Avery Counties. In 2004, he began working as the Asia Regional Director for Operation Christmas Child at

Samaritan's Purse Samaritan's Purse is an Evangelicalism, evangelical Christian humanitarian aid organization that provides aid to people in physical need as a key part of its Christian missionary work. The organization's president is Franklin Graham, son of Chri ...

. He was first elected to the North Carolina State Senate in 2010 and won re-election in 2012 and 2014. He was a primary sponsor of the North Carolina Marriage Amendment, which was adopted by referendum in May 2012 but ruled unconstitutional in October 2014. His achievements include: *Qualification in the Bell AH-1 Cobra helicopter *Qualification in the Bell UH-1 Iroquois "Huey" helicopter *

Airborne Airborne or Airborn may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Airborne'' (1962 film), a 1962 American film directed by James Landis * ''Airborne'' (1993 film), a comedy–drama film * ''Airborne'' (1998 film), an action film sta ...

and Air Assault qualified *AH-1 Top Gun Award recipient *Iron Aviator triathlon champion His duties and assignments have allowed him to work with the

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and religious leaders from many countries, international business leaders, and governments at all levels from customs officials to Governors, a Prime Minister, and a King. He has also served as a cross country and track coach at Watauga High School, coached youth soccer and served as an adult and high school Sunday school teacher at Alliance Bible Fellowship. In February 2013, Dan joined the

North Carolina National Guard The North Carolina National Guard (NCNG), commonly known as the North Carolina Guard, is a component of the North Carolina Department of Public Safety and the National Guard of the United States. It is composed of Army and Air National Guard uni ...

as a citizen soldier, while continuing to serve in the NC Senate.

Political positions

Conservatism *Received 100% scores from the

American Conservative Union The American Conservative Union (ACU) is an American political organization that advocates for conservative policies, ranks politicians based on their level of conservatism, and organizes the Conservative Political Action Conference. Founded on ...

in 2011 and 2013. *Received a 98% score from Civitas Action in 2011 and a 94% score in 2013.

Pro-life Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life or abolitionist movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in respon ...

*Endorsed by the North Carolina Right to Life organization. Pro

Second Amendment The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds each ...

*Received a 4 star rating from Grassroots North Carolina, an organization created to preserve second amendment rights. *In 2010 the National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund gave Senator Soucek a grade of A. Pro Business *Endorsed by the

National Federation of Independent Business The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) is an association of small businesses in the United States. It is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, with offices in Washington, D.C., and all 50 state capitals. The goal of NFIB is to a ...

. Environmental Issues *Received a 3% lifetime rating from the North Carolina League of Conservation Voters in 2013. *Received a rating of 0% from Environment North Carolina in 2011 and 2013 and a 5% rating in 2015. Endorsements *Grass Roots North Carolina *National Federation of Independent Business *National Rifle Association *State Employees' Association of North Carolina

Committee assignments

''2015-2016 Session''

References

External links

ncleg.net

votesmart.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Soucek, Dan 1969 births Living people People from Westfield, New Jersey Republican Party North Carolina state senators United States Military Academy alumni 21st-century American politicians Military personnel from New Jersey