Robert (Bob) Conley (D)

Current Job:

Engineer

Birth Date:

September 6, 1965

Education:

Tri-State University, Civil Engineering
Tri-State University, Mechanical Engineering

Biography:

Robert (Bob) Conley, 42, was born in Marion, Ind. and currently lives in North Myrtle Beach, S.C. He holds two bachelor's degrees in engineering from Tri-State University in Angola, Ind.

He's a commercial pilot, licensed professional engineer and certified flight instructor. Currently, he's working full-time on the Senate race and doing some consulting.

He moved to South Carolina roughly seven years ago, but he stresses that his family is from South Carolina, and he visited often growing up.

He is single and has no children.

Profile:

Bob Conley is counting on a mix of conservative principles, opposition to the Iraq War and dissatisfaction with incumbent Republican Lindsey Graham to help weave his way to a win in the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate.

Conley, a North Myrtle Beach Democrat who voted for Ron Paul in South Carolina's Republican presidential primary, says he believes his opposition to abortion rights, belief in marriage between a man and a woman and opposition to illegal immigration strike the right chord for voters here.

"I can grab a significant portion of the pie that would otherwise not vote Democrat," he said.

Even though he voted for longshot Paul, Conley says he walked away from the Republican Party years ago out of frustration over trade and immigration policies and the Iraq invasion. He says the GOP's "sellout of the American worker" infuriates him. He lashes out at both illegal and legal immigration, citing instances where his colleagues have suffered because corporations are allowed to recruit engineers and computer professionals from overseas.

Campaigns:

Bob Conley will take on U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham in November after a recount on June 16 gave Conley a narrow victory over a primary opponent. Conley beat Mount Pleasant lawyer Michael Cone by 1,058 votes out of more than 147,000 ballots cast the previous week, according to the state Elections Commission.Conley ran unsuccessfully in 2000 for a seat in the Indiana legislature. He ran as a Republican in that election and garnered 36 percent of the vote.