On October 11, an editor from The Stetson Reporter interviewed Stetson Alumni Bill McCullough about his running for U.S. Congressional District 6 for Florida. If McCullough beats his opponent Republican Ron DeSantis, he would represent Volusia, Flagler, parts of Lake and St. Johns counties in U.S. Congress.

The Reporter: What are your connections to DeLand?

Bill McCullough: To DeLand? Delightful DeLand? I actually remember the billboard. There was a billboard from here to Daytona that said ‘Delightful DeLand.

McCullough came to DeLand in 1975 to study at Stetson for his undergraduate degree. He wasn’t the first McCullough to do so, either.

BM: My brother preceded me… and I had a sister that came here in the mid-80s as a student also. Three of the five of us went to Stetson.

R: And you live here in DeLand?

BM: I live in DeLeon Springs. We had lived here a number of times. We came back in ‘85 – wanted to raise our child in a good setting such as DeLand, and then we had two more. So we had a total of three sons that we raised here. Educated in Volusia County public schools.

R: Why do you want to run for this position?

BM: I have spent years trying to point out the misinformation that’s been out there, across the board.

It’s interesting. One of the things that started my concern was when John McCain was smeared in the presidential campaign against George W. Bush, in South Carolina where he was accused of fathering two black children.

In reality, [the McCain’s] adopted them. But that smear cost him the South Carolina primary and probably the nomination for presidency.

And it didn’t stop there. There were smears against Republicans and Democrats and when Obama ran for president the first time. And I began to hear people talking about the sermons they heard – talking about Obama with misinformation in it, and I began see to that and began to respond and try to point out where they were misinformed. Politifact and things like that. That’s when Politifact and fact checkers came out, because there was so much misinformation. That got me interested.

R: What is your opinion on the current election cycle?

BM: There’s a lot of anger out there…

McCullough mentioned how President Obama tried to offer hope and, of course, the first thing he heard was then Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell saying ‘We will fight everything he tries to do.’ Meanwhile, the hope we’re trying to be given by Donald Trump is ‘Things are bad. Things are getting worse. I can change it and give you that hope.’

BM: But what came out today [in reference to the 2005 Access Hollywood tapes, which were released a few days prior] makes apparent that it’s not a bad idea to have a female president, because that will stop some of that objectification [present in American culture].

Over the last forty years, we’re finally understanding that not only does “No” mean no but if you don’t say “Yes” that means no, too. A female president can take this one step further and make it a little safer. We are getting to the point where that attitude [of objectification] is, and should be, condemned.”

R: What is something you would like Stetson students to know about your campaign platform?

McCullough would like the students of Stetson to understand that his “desire is not to be a professional politician,” but rather a “public servant.”

McCullough shared that his campaign paid someone to draft an amendment to the U.S. Constitution and named it “Citizens Only” in contrast to “Citizens United,” the 2010 Supreme Court case which struck down many campaign finance laws. The amendment would “basically make it a part of the Constitution that only U.S. citizens should influence the election by contributing money.”

McCullough has not set up a PAC and has not accepted any money for his campaign from non-U.S. citizens. This is McCullough’s team’s effort to combat “Big Money” in politics.

BM: “One more thing: Go Hatters!”