Bob Conley
Bob Conley | |
|---|---|
| Democratic nominee for U.S. Senator for South Carolina | |
| Opponent | Lindsey Graham |
| Incumbent | Lindsey Graham |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Single |
| Residence | North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina |
| Alma mater | Trine University |
| Profession | commercial pilot, flight instructor, licensed professional engineer |
| Website | Bob Conley for Senate |
![[1]](http://www.bobconleyforsenate.com/images/Bob_Conley_HiRes.jpg){kind=link}
Robert M. "Bob" Conley (born September 6, 1965) is an American pilot, engineer, and politician. He was the 2008 Democratic nominee for U.S. Senator from South Carolina; he ran against and lost to Republican incumbent Lindsey Graham.
Conley defeated lawyer Michael Cone in the primary election on June 16, following a recount, by a margin of 1,058 votes.[1] He is considered to be a conservative Democrat[2] and even supported Republican Congressman Ron Paul in his presidential campaign.[3] Conley is a resident of North Myrtle Beach, where he served as a member of the Horry County Republican Committee prior to seeking the Democratic nomination. His candidacy was endorsed by Constitution Party presidential nominee Chuck Baldwin.[4]
Positions
"Conley stands for ending illegal immigration, protecting American workers, bringing our troops home from Iraq, increasing veterans' benefits, reducing our dependence on foreign oil, ending Wall Street bailouts, repealing the Patriot Act, cutting spending, and fidelity to the Constitution."[2] He is opposed to same-sex marriage.[5]
Criticism
Michael Cone, Conley's primary opponent, criticized Conley as too conservative, saying that "We've nominated a Republican in a Democratic primary." Conley was a Republican but left the party due to frustration over immigration, trade, and the Iraq War. Numerous commentators, including Lew Rockwell[6] of the Ludwig von Mises Institute, and Daniel McCarthy[7] in The American Conservative, have compared him to Republican Congressman Ron Paul. Indeed, Conley voted for Paul in South Carolina's presidential primary.[2]
The 2008 South Carolina Senate Race
After Bob Conley beat Cone in the primary he went on to compete against incumbent Republican senator Lindsey Graham. Conley's campaign followed his mantra of fiscal conservatism spending only $15,202 for 42.25% of the vote on November 5 to Graham's $6,596,229 for 57.53%.[8]
References
- ^ US Senate recount shows Conley to face Graham. WBTV 3 News.
- ^ a b c Democrat Bob Conley offers conservatives a real choice in November June 18, 2008 Charleston City Paper
- ^ Elonkey. Bob Conley: "The Ron Paul Democrat" June 23, 2008
- ^ Graham's SC challenger is a man without party. Associated Press. September 14, 2008.
- ^ "aimhighwithbob.com". Aimhighwithbob.com. Retrieved 2008-11-29.
- ^ The LRC Blog, "Ron Paul Democrat!," by Lew Rockwell (June 14th, 2008 - retrieved on November 23rd, 2009).
- ^ "A Ron Paul Democrat in South Carolina", The American Conservative, by Daniel McCarthy (June 16th, 2008 - retrieved on November 23rd, 2009)
- ^ http://www.opensecrets.org/races/summary.php?id=SCS2&cycle=2008 (Note: as of June 30, 2008 - opensecrets.org: 2008 Race: South Carolina Senate Total Raised and Spent