Jacob Anders

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Jacob Anders

Democratic Party

Personal

Birthplace

Huntsville, Ala.

Religion

Christian

Profession

Political activist

Contact

Campaign Twitter

Jacob Anders (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Tennessee's 4th Congressional District. He did not appear on the ballot for the Democratic primary on August 6, 2020.

Anders completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Jacob Anders was born in Huntsville, Alabama. He attended the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Anders’s career experience includes working as a voice actor and political activist.

Elections

2020

See also: Tennessee's 4th Congressional District election, 2020

Tennessee's 4th Congressional District election, 2020 (August 6 Republican primary)

Tennessee's 4th Congressional District election, 2020 (August 6 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Tennessee District 4

Incumbent Scott DesJarlais defeated Christopher Hale in the general election for U.S. House Tennessee District 4 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Scott DesJarlais (R)	66.7	223,802
		Christopher Hale (D)	33.3	111,908

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 335,710
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 4

Christopher Hale defeated Noelle Bivens in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 4 on August 6, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Christopher Hale	58.9	16,152
		Noelle Bivens	41.1	11,249

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 27,401 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= 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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Jacob Anders (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 4

Incumbent Scott DesJarlais defeated Doug Meyer and Randy Sharp in the Republican primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 4 on August 6, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Scott DesJarlais	71.1	55,194
	Submit photo	Doug Meyer	18.3	14,184
	Submit photo	Randy Sharp	10.7	8,289

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 77,667 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= 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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Jacob Anders completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Anders' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Jacob Kristopher Anders. I majored in psychology at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, but I got an interest in politics during my youth when Ron Paul, Bernie Sanders and Andrew Yang were trying to change the country with policies they thought would help Americans. I volunteered for all three of these men, and the experiences and people I met along the way reshaped my view of the world. I want to make people's lives a bit better and a bit easier.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• I will keep America out of foreign wars.
• I am focused on the future which includes automation, wages and climate.
• I will pass legislation that will grant Americans a basic income.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I'm passionate about keeping America out of foreign wars and maintaining good relations with our allies because lives are on the line. I believe all Americans should be able to live the American dream which includes good healthcare, exceptional education and the freedom to earn a decent living. Above all else we need a universal basic income to support our stay at home parents, retirees, and those that cannot find jobs despite their qualifications.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to Ron Paul, Bernie Sanders and Andrew Yang. If it wasn't for those guys and others like them I wouldn't be a nerd for politics and policy much less running for office. When the nation was eager for war it was guys like them that said wait a minute this is a bad idea. Doing the right thing even when it isn't popular is the example I intend to set and follow.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

I would recommend The War on Normal People by Andrew Yang. The guy is a genius, but he uses simple math and arguments to outline WHY our country is hurting and HOW we can fix it with ideas backed by data.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

In The Long Run was the song played at my wedding last year, so it has definitely been stuck in my head. I sang Rocket Man in the shower a few days ago.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I've struggled with PTSD and depression since surviving what was essentially a mass shooting in 2012. A young guy I had just recently became friends with was killed at gunpoint in front of all of us. Two other guys I had met just a few times survived their bullet wounds. I and another young guy got grazed by bullets, but he lost his brother that night for no reason and I can't even begin to imagine what his suffering is like. It has taken many years for me to be able to enjoy hunting, fireworks and sleeping with the door unlocked again.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

It is usually beneficial for representatives to have experience in politics, but it must be good experience. Participation in corruption or taking bribes would obviously be bad experience. My experience in politics is in volunteering for political campaigns by organizing volunteers, knocking on doors, finding out what voters actually care about and of course making a lot of phone calls.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

The United States must cease with foreign wars, prepare for the fourth industrial revolution, revitalize our small towns and cites, protect our environment and bring healthcare to the entire population.

If you are not a current representative, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

I would love to either be on the foreign relations committee or science, space and technology committee. We could definitely use some younger folks like me on there.

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.

See also

2020 Elections

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Government

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External links

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Footnotes

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Tennessee's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Marsha Blackburn (R)

Bill Hagerty (R)

Representatives

District 1

Diana Harshbarger (R)

District 2

Tim Burchett (R)

District 3

Charles Fleischmann (R)

District 4

Scott DesJarlais (R)

District 5

Andy Ogles (R)

District 6

John Rose (R)

District 7

Vacant

District 8

David Kustoff (R)

District 9

Steve Cohen (D)

Republican Party (9)

Democratic Party (1)

Vacancies (1)