Robert Tingle
| Robert G. Tingle | |
|---|---|
| Republican nominee for U.S. Senator from Rhode Island | |
|
Election date November 4, 2008 | |
| Opponent(s) | Jack Reed (D) |
| Incumbent | Jack Reed |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
October 24, 1957 Darby, Pennsylvania |
| Died | April 23, 2016 |
| Political party | Republican |
| Residence | Westerly, Rhode Island |
| Occupation | casino pit manager |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Robert G. Tingle (born October 24, 1957) was an American casino pit manager and a former candidate for public office in the state of Rhode Island.
Early life
Tingle was born in Darby, Pennsylvania.
In 1975, he graduated from Atlantic City High School.
Professional career
Tingle began working at casinos in 1980, when he became a supervisor at Ballys Park Place Casino. He left the casino in 1992 to become pit manager at Foxwoods Resort Casino, a position which he still holds today.[1]
Political involvement
In 2000, Tingle first began getting involved politically with the Republican Party. In that year he was a delegate to the Republican National Convention and also the Republican candidate for Rhode Island's 2nd congressional district. He was defeated in that race by the Democratic James Langevin.
In 2002, Tingle challenged popular Democratic incumbent Jack Reed in the 2002 U.S. Senate race in Rhode Island. He was defeated soundly, 78% to 22%.
2008 United States Senate campaign
In 2008, rather than allowing the still tremendously popular Reed to run unopposed for a third term, Tingle announced his candidacy and was nominated by his own Republican Party.[2]
He was running on a somewhat libertarian, self-described "Reagan Conservative" platform. Tingle is pro-life, in favor of gun rights, in favor of decriminalizing marijuana, in favor of abolishing the federal income tax, against amnesty for illegal immigrants, in favor of lowering the drinking age, opposed to the death penalty, and opposed to spending on the United Nations and international aid.[3] Tingle has criticized Reed's liberal voting record in the Senate as being out of touch with blue-collar Rhode Islanders, taking particular issue with Reed's pro-choice bent.[4]
Reed was re-elected in a landslide, as he was in 2002, most likely due to his popularity among his constituents (his job approval rating is almost 70%) and the fact that Rhode Island is an overwhelmingly Democratic state. On November 4, 2008, Tingle was defeated by Reed by a margin of about 47%.