Bob Titley
Bob Titley (independent) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Tennessee's 5th Congressional District. He lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Titley completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Bob Titley was born in Newport News, Virginia. He earned a high school diploma from St. Mark's School and a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas in 1977. His career experience includes working as an entrepreneur. He has served as a board member of the Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music and as a board member and interim director of the Conscious Alliance.[1]
Elections
2024
See also: Tennessee's 5th Congressional District election, 2024
Tennessee's 5th Congressional District election, 2024 (August 1 Republican primary)
Tennessee's 5th Congressional District election, 2024 (August 1 Democratic primary)
General election
General election for U.S. House Tennessee District 5
Incumbent Andy Ogles defeated Maryam Abolfazli, Jim Larkin, Bob Titley, and Yomi Faparusi in the general election for U.S. House Tennessee District 5 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Andy Ogles (R) | 56.9 | 205,075 |
 | Maryam Abolfazli (D)  | 39.5 | 142,387 | |
 | Jim Larkin (Independent) | 2.1 | 7,607 | |
 | Bob Titley (Independent) | 0.8 | 3,065 | |
 | Yomi Faparusi (Independent) | 0.7 | 2,580 | |
| Total votes: 360,714 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 5
Maryam Abolfazli advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 5 on August 1, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Maryam Abolfazli | 100.0 | 29,242 |
| Total votes: 29,242 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Arnie Malham (D)
- Kiran Sreepada (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 5
Incumbent Andy Ogles defeated Courtney Johnston in the Republican primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 5 on August 1, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Andy Ogles | 56.5 | 32,062 |
 | Courtney Johnston | 43.5 | 24,646 | |
| Total votes: 56,708 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Titley in this election.
Campaign themes
2024
Video for Ballotpedia
| Video submitted to Ballotpedia September 4, 2024 |
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Bob Titley completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Titley's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I have had a successful career as an entrepreneur, in the entertainment business, commercial real estate, oil & gas, and the non-profit sector. I care about my country and the well being of my fellow citizens. I have watched for 40 years the gradual takeover of Washington by financial and corporate interests and caused our government to neglect its on citizens.
There is a widespread belief in this country that we need profound change in Washington. But that change can only come from a movement of people working together with a common vision for that change. I believe the vehicle for that change is the U.S. House of Representatives. That is why I am running as an independent. Currently there are no independents in Congress. If an independent can get elected, it creates a model and a playbook to carry to other districts around the country and begin building a movement for reform.- Cheap reliable energy is key to our economic well being. Energy policy is informed by both an economic concern and an environmental concern. Our two party system has reduced the debate to soundbites of "Electrify the economy" and "Drill baby drill". Neither is an adequate answer to energy policy. Electrification will run against the headwall of raw materials needed like copper and rare earth minerals as well as speed and cost of deployment of new production. Drill baby drill will run against the headwall of depleting oil resources. I am advocating for a Manhattan Project/Apollo Program level of commitment to scientific research and development and review of new energy and materials technologies.
- A fair and balanced economy. For 40 years we have seen American Workers shoved into a corner by the corporate sector and Wall Street. It affects almost every area of policy from tax policy to Healthcare policy. Our economy is burdened by $35 trillion of debt that prevents us from investing in programs we need for a secure and prosperous future. The economy has been radically altered by technology. Yet nothing has changed in how we tax that economy. The wealthy, corporations and Wall Street have used their influence in Washington for the last 40 years. to reduce their tax burden and shift it on the back of American Workers. We need to reverse that trend. A strong middle class is the backbone of Democracy and the American economy.
- Border security is important to Americans. Most politicians address the symptoms rather than the disease. The disease is the fact that the criminal cartels in Mexico make well over $1 billion a year for the illegal immigrant trade into the U.S. while trafficking Fentanyl that kills over 80,000 Americans a year. We need to declare the criminal cartels terrorist organizations and go after them aggressively, including putting significant foreign policy pressure on the Mexican government. We need a safe legal guest worker visa program that WE control. Migrants pay cartels $3,000 to $25,000 for illegal entry. Let them pay the U.S. for a legal work permit after a background check and pay an extra 3% guest worker payroll tax.
We also have the issue of global warming. Our 2 party system has turned that into a divisive issue. It doesn't have to be. A commitment to scientific research on the level of the Manhattan Project or Apollo program can provide us sustainable energy solutions to insure our future prosperity, and address concerns about global warming.
A Representative is also a translator between their constituents and the government. Governments and corporations like to hide behind shrouds of complex language. It is the Representatives job to insure that the government understands the needs and desires of its People, and that the People understand the functioning of government. The Representative should serve as a translator and educator between the public and the government.
A Representative is one of 435 in the U.S. House. So their power as an individual is limited regardless of party affiliation. In fact, a Congressman aligned with one of the 2 major parties will be bound by the demands of the party leadership. Whereas an independent is not bound by any leadership and can remain more loyal to the desires of their district and can resist extreme moves by either party. A body of independents can be a powerful moderating force in a legislative body.
Lastly, I like to compare a good Representative to Toto, the little terrier in the Wizard of Oz that pulled back the curtain to reveal who the Wizard really was. That is also the roll of the Representative: to keep asking questions and pulling back curtains to reveal the forces that shape policy in Washington.
The U.S. House, in my opinion, is the most powerful branch of government and is the primary instrument for change in this country. But because that power is distributed among 435 individuals it is not perceived by the public to be powerful. Instead, the public instinctively looks for a hero in the form of a Presidential candidate to bring the change they seek. I believe this is a mistake.
I think that is a necessary requirement for the Presidency and even for the Senate. But not the House of Representatives. It is the People's House. It should be the tool to mine the collective genius of the American People and so should be accessible to anyone. It is by nature a bit chaotic and unruly, but I see that as a strength rather than a weakness.
There is benefit to having influence that is not shaped by political institutions and prior political experience. It is true that legislative experience is valuable to navigate the existing system, but at least in the House, the system should be reformed to make it more accessible to new and innovative ideas.
1) We all know his famous warning about the military industrial complex. Yet today our war budget is equal to the next 7 or 8 nations combined. We have been in endless wars, and yet the last war declared by Congress was WWII. To paraphrase Eisenhower, every dollar spent on weapons of war is not just a dollar wasted, it is the future of our children, the sweat of our workers and the skill of our scientists wasted. Today we can extend that warning to include the Security Industrial Complex: the privatization of the spy business.
2) He also warned us about the unwarranted influence of a scientific and technological elite. Today we live in world dominated by large tech companies like Google, Microsoft and Meta. Their money and influence in Washington inhibits any effective legislation to moderate, manage or limit their influence over our economy, our culture and the minds of our children.
3) He warned us about the dangers of Federal debt, a theft from the future of our children and grand children. Today we have a Federal debt of $35 trillion, 120% of our GDP.
These are the major challenges:
1) Reform election laws and the political system to maintain Representative Democracy.
2) Insure cheap reliable sources of energy and raw materials.
3) Radically adjust our foreign policy philosophy. The idea of the U.S. being the single solitary super power is naive, impossible to achieve, very expensive and very dangerous. We do, in fact, live in a multi-polar world.
4) Reduce the debt.
We do need a different set of rules and standards to govern elections to the U.S. House. The average House campaign costs well over $1 million. This makes the House inaccessible and violates its very purpose. I believe campaign reform specific to U.S. House races is needed, including limits on the allowed duration of campaigns, limits to allowed spending, and changes in FEC rules governing House elections.
I think to fully embrace term limits, it would require fully reforming our elections and system of government.
I would like to see a system where teams of people circulate through a Representative's chair but continue as acting or advising staff. If I am electing it is my intention to limit myself to 1 or 2 terms. I will commit to hiring the majority of my staff from my district, and attempt to identify a suitable replacement from that staff that I can endorse to replace me at the end of my term. If they are elected, I would agree to continue working on their staff or as an advisor to maintain continuity in advancing key legislative issues. IF a district could ever execute a plan like that (which requires a high level of personal integrity by all participants) , 3 terms (6 years) in the House of Representatives would be a reasonable term limit.
The story of struggles to find affordable housing, the struggle to find affordable childcare, the struggle with inflation and the cost of living. The chronic anxiety over healthcare costs. The idea that The American Dream has slowly slipped away. America's health is in decline, our children suffer more depression and anxiety than any generation before. We spend more per capita on pharmaceuticals than any other nation, and yet we have worse health outcomes. We are losing large numbers of our young people to the Opioid crisis. Young people don't see the value of education just to be burdened by a life of college debt, and they don't see a future in work because we have had 40 years of government policy failing to reward work and shipping American jobs overseas to benefit corporations with lower labor costs and less environmental regulations.
This is all a result of 40 years of serving Corporate boardrooms and Wall Street rather than serving the American People.
People don't appreciate the risks gridlock introduces. When government is paralyzed, critical decision that MUST be made about policy will find new paths that are hidden from view, and gradually what people call "The Shadow Government" grows in its influence and ability to enact policy without accountability to the American People.
1)Raising corporate tax rates to the level they were at from 1955-1975
2) Discovering innovative new forms of taxation that do not impact working Americans:
- giant tech companies make fortunes mining yourinvestments.
personal data...we should institute a micro-tax to tax
data.
- The majority of stock market transactions occur by
computer algorithm often to support high speed
trading. A micro-tax should be instituted on these
types of financial transactions.
- Even though we still import a significant amount of
oil, because of coal and natural gas, we are a net
energy exporter. When we export energy we are
exporting our economic future. We should place a
tariff on energy exports to help fund research in
new energy technologies.
- We are not prepared for the electricity demands
placed on us by the growth of data centers and AI as
well as electrification of the vehicle fleet. This will
require significant investments in new generation
facilities and grid buildout. We should tax electricity
consumption of data centers to help fund those
The same is true of government. A lack of transparency and accountability creates a culture of corruption. The Pentagon budget and our incredibly wasteful military spending is the prime example of the results of a deficit of transparency and accountability.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign website
Titley’s campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
ECONOMIC REFORM WE NEED TO RETURN TO A FAIR AND BALANCED ECONOMY The economy is not working for the average American worker. Wall Street is thriving. Corporate Executives are thriving. The wealthy are thriving. Everyone else is is struggling. For 40 years American workers have been shoved in a corner as corporate lobbyists have taken over control of Washington. This is a systemic problem and only a movement of elected officials that are willing to step away from the two party system can change it. Inflation has reared its ugly head. Even though many Americans are working, the cost of living has increased more than their wages. The basic American Dream is no longer affordable for most people. We need every policy in Washington evaluated for its impact on working Americans. Cheap reliable energy and essential raw materials are at the heart of the economy. We need to have focused efforts to secure those resources for our future prosperity. We have $35 trillion in national debt. We have to address that so we can invest in our future. It impacts inflation, our trade deficit, interest rates and it’s a mortgage on your children’s future. It is immoral for a nation to accumulate so much debt. There are only two ways to reduce debt: cut spending or raise taxes. Neither are very popular with the American people because American workers are already stretched too thin financially. We have to look at sectors that have been prospering. That means we have to look to Corporations, the technology industry, billionaires, and the Military Industrial Complex. We need to develop new innovative ways of raising revenue that don’t impact working people. Some ideas to consider:
“This world in arms is not spending money alone it is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children.” -President Dwight Eisenhower GOVERNMENT REFORM THE TWO PARTY SYSTEM IS BROKEN We all know there is too much money in government - and that it’s corrupting our political system. A Congress dominated by the two parties will never pass laws restricting money in politics. They don't want to make it easy for someone to get elected and threaten their jobs. There is no hero that will save us. No individual, no President will be able to change the system. It has to be a movement of people. Our nation was not founded by one individual - it was a movement of people working together. It took a long time and a lot of effort. The House of Representatives is called The People's House. It is the tool given us by the Constitution to change government. The only hope to change the system is to have a movement of people electing independents to the House of Representatives that can resist the pressures of the two party system. With 30 like minded independents in the House, we will be a powerful voting block. We can control which party gets to elect a speaker, and we can use that leverage to change House rules. For instance, right now committee seats are assigned not on merit but on how much money a member can raise for their party. We can change this. That is systemic corruption and it needs to change. A committed group of independents can do it. Will you join us? We are creating a simple way to run a short cost effective campaign to gain an independent seat in the U.S. House. We may succeed or we may fail. But if we fail, hopefully someone else will pick up the torch and try again and keep trying until we break through the corrupt system that is controlling our government. ENERGY POLICY WE NEED A FOCUSED NATIONAL COMMITMENT TO RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OF NEW ENERGY TECHNOLOGY Our economy requires cheap and reliable energy. Energy policy is held hostage by a politicized debate about global warming. Democratic plans to de-carbonization the economy require electrification of the economy. At the same time, Artificial Intelligence data centers are projected to increase their electricity demand by 26% to 36% annually. Our electric grid today can't handle a bad weather day. Copper availability alone will prevent those growth projections. We are projected to have a 20% shortfall per year of copper production globally by 2030. Other critical minerals like cobalt, graphite, lithium, manganese and nickel are also becoming more scarce, and their supply chain is controlled by China, which is a foreign policy issue. Republican plans depend on continued successful development of domestic oil and gas. But we are running out of cheap, easy to get oil. There are 7 major shale plays in the U.S. and 6 of them have peaked in production and are in decline. The 7th is the Permian Basin in Texas and it is projected to peak and begin a decline within a few years. Unfortunately there is no easy solution. That's why we need a focused national commitment to research and development of new energy and materials technologies by both the federal government and the private sector. The government has successfully engaged in this kind of commitment to scientific research in the past with the Manhattan Project and the Apollo Program. But because of our national debt, we don't have the resources for this type of investment, so budgets must be diverted from other uses. Our defense budget is equal to the next 7 nations combined. It is wasteful and produces nothing for our future prosperity. We must find ways to redirect defense spending to energy and materials R&D. HEALTHCARE REFORM WE NEED A REVOLUTION IN HEALTHCARE POLICY Healthcare costs are a leading cause of personal bankruptcy in the nation. It is also bankrupting our nation through Medicare and Medicaid costs. The root of the problem is that the market based solutions simply do not work for most healthcare. The pharmaceutical and insurance industries fight tooth and nail to preserve the existing system and their profits. We need a revolution in healthcare policy. We need open competition for pharmaceuticals and end abuse of patent protections that give pharmaceutical companies monopolies over critical medicines. We need more competition among health insurance providers and end dependence on employer provided insurance. IT IS THE DUTY OF A NATION TO INSURE THE BASIC HEALTH AND WELL BEING OF ITS CITIZENS. IMMIGRATION REFORM CARTELS SHOULD BE DESIGNATED AS TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS Politicians focus on the symptoms rather than the disease. The root cause of our border crisis is the fact that the drug cartels in Mexico make over $1 billion a year from the illegal immigrant trade while they traffic Fentanyl that kills over 80,000 Americans a year. If you had a $1 billion a year business you would market it, promote it and recruit new customizers. That's what the cartels do. I support creating a safe legal path for guest workers that we control instead of the cartels. Migrants pay the cartels anywhere from $5,000 to $25,000 for illegal entry. With a paid guest worker visa system, they would pay the U.S. government instead of the cartels - and gain the right to enter legally so that we control the flow of immigrants rather than the cartels. I Support:
We need to create a safe legal path for guest workers. They pay anywhere from $5,000 to $25,000 to cartels for illegal entry. Instead, let them pay the U.S. government for the right to enter legally under a paid guest worker visa program so that we control the flow of immigrants rather than the cartels.[2] |
” |
| —Bob Titley’s campaign website (2024)[3][4][5][6][7] | ||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
|
Candidate U.S. House Tennessee District 5 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on September 5, 2024
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Bob Titley For Congress, “Economy,” accessed October 15, 2024
- ↑ Bob Titley For Congress, “Government,” accessed October 15, 2024
- ↑ Bob Titley For Congress, “Energy,” accessed October 15, 2024
- ↑ Bob Titley For Congress, “Healthcare,” accessed October 15, 2024
- ↑ Bob Titley For Congress, “Immigration,” accessed October 15, 2024
