Bill Bolling
Bill Bolling | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 39th Lieutenant Governor of Virginia | |
| In office January 14, 2006 – January 11, 2014 | |
| Governor | Tim Kaine Bob McDonnell |
| Preceded by | Tim Kaine |
| Succeeded by | Ralph Northam |
| Member of the Virginia Senate from the 4th district | |
| In office January 10, 1996 – November 29, 2005 | |
| Preceded by | Elmo Cross |
| Succeeded by | Ryan McDougle |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Troy Bolling June 15, 1957 Sistersville, West Virginia, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Jean Kincaid |
| Education | University of Charleston (BS) |
| Signature |  |
William Troy Bolling (born June 15, 1957) is an American businessman, politician and educator who served as the 39th Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. Running as a Republican, Bolling was elected twice to the position by defeating his Democratic opponent in both the 2005 and 2009 general elections. He was the first Lieutenant Governor in the Commonwealth of Virginia to serve two consecutive terms since Don Beyer. He was succeeded by Democrat Ralph Northam after the 2013 general election.
Early life, education, and early career
Bolling was born on June 15, 1957 in Sistersville, West Virginia. He was raised in the coal fields of southwest Virginia and southern West Virginia. His father was a coal miner, and his mother owned and operated a small restaurant, Irene's Cafe. Bolling worked on his first political campaign at the age of 15, when he volunteered on the re-election campaign of Governor Arch Moore of West Virginia. He graduated from Sherman High School in Seth, West Virginia in 1975, and from the University of Charleston in 1978 with a B.S. degree in Political Science. He was the first member of his family to graduate from college. Bolling met his wife, the former Jean Ann Kincaid, while a student at the University of Charleston, and the two were married in 1978. Following his graduation from college, Bolling went to work in the insurance industry. He lived and worked in Charleston, West Virginia until 1981, when he accepted a job with The Reciprocal Group, an insurance company, and moved to Richmond, Virginia.
Early Political Involvement
Bolling became involved in Republican politics in 1987 when he joined the Hanover County Republican Committee. He worked on a number of local political campaigns, and even ran two local campaigns for the Hanover County Board of Supervisors in 1987 and 1988. Bolling quickly moved into various leadership positions in the Republican Party, including Vice-Chairman and Chairman of the Hanover County Republican Committee.
Hanover County Board of Supervisors
Bolling sought his first elected office in 1991, when he ran for a seat on the Hanover County, Virginia Board of Supervisors. He was elected and served as a member and Chairman of the Board of Supervisors until 1995. While serving on the Hanover County Board of Supervisors, Bolling was also actively involved in a number of regional organizations, including the Metropolitan Economic Development Council and the Greater Richmond Economic Development Partnership, both of which he chaired.
Virginia Senate
In 1995, Bolling decided to run for the Virginia State Senate. He ran against a twenty-year incumbent Democrat, Senator Elmo Cross. It was a hotly contested campaign, which Bolling eventually by 574 votes out of 50,000 cast.[1] Bolling was unopposed for reelection in 1999 and 2003. As a member of the Senate of Virginia, Bolling served on a number of key committees, including the Committee on Education and Health; the Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources; the Committee on Privileges and Elections; the Committee on General Laws; and the Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Serices. He also served as Chairman of the Joint Republican Caucus, the Virginia Republican Senatorial Committee, the Senate's sub-committee on Health Care, the Commission on the Future of Virginia's Environment, and the Chesapeake Bay Commission.
Lieutenant Governor of Virginia
Elections
In 2005, Bolling decided to seek statewide elected office, and announced his candidacy for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. He faced a stiff challenge in the Republican primary, but eventually defeated Sean Connaughton, who had served as Chairman of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors, with 58% of the vote.[2] In the ensuing general election, Bolling defeated Democratic nominee and State Senator Leslie Larkin Byrne 50%-49%.[3] He won even though the Republican nominee for Governor, Jerry Kilgore, lost the gubernatorial election. In 2009, Bolling ran for re-election. He defeated Democratic nominee Jody Wagner, who had previously served as State Treasurer, with 57% of the vote.[4] Upon his re-election in 2009, Bolling became the first Virginia Lieutenant Governor since Don Beyer to be elected to two consecutive terms.[5]
Tenure
Kaine administration
Bolling was inaugurated Lieutenant Governor on January 14, 2006 in Williamsburg, Virginia, along with the other Executive Branch officers, including Democratic Governor Tim Kaine and Attorney General Bob McDonnell. As Lieutenant Governor, Bolling promoted multiple healthcare programs, including his September program, which encouraged a healthy and active lifestyle; his Ending Cervical Cancer in our Lifetime program, which focused on raising awareness about Cervical Cancer and HPV; and his Helping Virginians Breathe Easier campaign, which focused on asthma awareness. Bolling also launched a statewide initiative, "100 Ideas for the Future of Virginia". This two-year program focused on developing a plan to address the most important issues facing Virginia by reaching out to the public for feedback and ideas through a series of town hall meetings, mailings, and an integrated web site. This program focused on issues like education, transportation, public safety, health care, protecting the environment, reforming government, and more.
McDonnell administration
During his second term as Lieutenant Governor, Bolling assumed a much more active role in Virgina's state government. Governor Bob McDonnell appointed Bolling as a member of the Governor's cabinet and asked him to serve as Virginia's Chief Jobs Creation Officer. Regarding creation of this new position, McDonnell stated, "I'm going to turn him into the busiest lieutenant governor in the nation."[6] As Chief Jobs Creation Officer, Bolling was responsible for coordinating Virgina's economic development programs across numerous state agencies, helping develop the administration's economic development strategy, and working with state, regional and local economic development and business organizations to create new business, industry and jobs in Virginia.
National Lieutenant Governor's Association
During his service as Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, Bolling was also very actively involved in the National Lieutenant Governor's Association (NLGA). He served as Vice Chairman of NLGA in 2011 and Chairman of NLGA in 2012. In 2007, Bolling hosted NLGA's Annual Meeting in Williamsburg, Virginia as part of the 400th anniversary celebration of the founding of America at Jamestown.
2013 gubernatorial campaign
It was widely expected the Bolling would be the Republican nominee for Governor in 2013. In early 2008, Bolling and then-Attorney General Bob McDonnell struck a deal in which Bolling agreed to run for re-election as Lieutenant Governor to allow McDonnell to run unopposed for governor in 2009. In exchange, McDonnell agreed to support for Bolling for governor in 2013.[7] The deal was widely known and as such, Bolling was effectively running for governor since 2009,[8] and in April 2010, Bolling filed the necessary paperwork to run for Governor in 2013.[9] Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, elected alongside McDonnell and Bolling in 2009, had stated that he intended to run for re-election as Attorney General in 2013, but in December 2011, Cuccinelli announced that he would run against Bolling for governor in 2013. When this news went public, it created a great deal of division in the Republican Party, and Bolling issued a statement accusing Cuccinelli of putting "his own personal ambition ahead of the best interests of the Commonwealth and the Republican Party."[10]
In 2012, Bolling was the Virginia state Chairman of Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign,[11] a position he hoped to use to curry favor from a potential Romney administration and increase his own name recognition among state Republicans.[7] Through the second quarter of 2012, Bolling had a significant edge in fundraising over Cuccinelli.[12] However, Bolling's hopes of becoming the Republican nominee were dealt a serious setback in June 2012 when the Republican Party of Virginia's State Central Committee decided to nominate candidates for statewide office in a closed party convention, rather than an open statewide primary. It was felt that a convention would favor Cuccinelli because Republican conventions in Virginia are typically dominated by conservatives, who backed Cuccinelli over the more moderate Bolling.[13][14]
On November 28, 2012, Bolling announced that he was suspending his campaign. He said that "the decision to change the method of nomination from a primary to a convention created too many obstacles for us to overcome", and that he didn't want to "create deep divisions within our party."[15] However, he refused to endorse Cuccinelli, saying, "I have serious reservations about his ability to effectively and responsibly lead our state."[16]
After suspending his campaign for the Republican nomination, Bolling considered running as an independent, but decided against it.[17] Bolling also rejected the possibility of a write-in effort, citing an inability to raise enough money to run a successful campaign.[18] However, Bolling continued to comment on the race and the policy proposals of both the Democratic nominee, Terry McAuliffe, and the Republican nominee, Ken Cuccinelli. During the campaign, McAuliffe sought Bolling's support, and informally offered Bolling a position in his administration,[19] However, Bolling never endorsed McAuliffe and was never formally offered a position in the McAuliffe administration.
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bill Bolling (incumbent) | 1,106,793 | 56.51 | |
| Democratic | Jody Wagner | 850,111 | 43.40 | |
| Independent | Write-in candidates | 1,569 | 0.08 | |
| Total votes | 1,958,473 | 100 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bill Bolling | 979,265 | 50.47 | |
| Democratic | Leslie L. Byrne | 956,906 | 49.32 | |
| Independent | Write-in candidates | 4,065 | 0.21 | |
| Total votes | 1,940,236 | 100 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bill Bolling (incumbent) | 27,646 | 99.44 | |
| Independent | Write-in candidates | 155 | 0.66 | |
| Total votes | 27,801 | 100 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bill Bolling (incumbent) | 38,136 | 99.69 | |
| Independent | Write-in candidates | 117 | 0.31 | |
| Total votes | 38,253 | 100 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bill Bolling | 26,957 | 50.54 | |
| Democratic | Elmo G. Cross, Jr. (incumbent) | 26,383 | 49.46 | |
| Independent | Write-in candidates | 2 | 0.00 | |
| Total votes | 53,342 | 100 | ||
Business career
Professionally, Bolling spent his entire career in the insurance business. He worked with the Aetna Casualty and Surety Company in Charleston, West Virginia from 1979-1981, and then worked with The Reciprocal Group, and insurance company based in Richmond, Virginia, from 1981-2003. In 2003, Bolling joined Riggs, Counselman, Michaels and Downes, one of the nation’s independent insurance agencies, as a Sales Executive. When his career in elected office ended in 2013, Bolling returned to RCM&D and became managing Director of the firm's business operations in Virginia. Bolling took a leave of absence from RCM&D in 2018 to pursue a career in teaching. In October of 2018 Bolling accepted an appointment as a Senior Fellow at James Madison University, where he did extensive guest lecturing in political science and served as an advisor to the President of the university. Bolling finished his fellowship at JMU in June of 2019 and returned to his home in Richmond. Bolling currently teaches government and politics at George Mason University, Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Richmond.
Personal life
Bolling has been married to the former Jean Ann Kincaid, since 1978. The Bolling's met while attending the University of Charleston. They have two children. Matthew Bolling received a degree in Computer Engineering from Virginia Tech in 2006. He currently serves as Customer Service Leader and Open Source Technologist for Red Hat, Inc. Kevin Bolling graduated with a degree in Business Administration from James Madison University in 2010. He currently serves as Manager of Resort Transportation at Universal Orlando Resort. The Bolling's are members of Shady Grove United Methodist Church in Mechanicsville, Virginia, where Bill has taught an adult Sunda School class since 1982.
References
- ^ "November 7, 1995 General Elections". Sbe.virginia.gov. November 7, 1995. Archived from the original on March 28, 2012. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
- ^ "VA Lt. Governor - R Primary Race - Jun 14, 2005". Our Campaigns. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
- ^ "VA Lt. Governor Race - Nov 08, 2005". Our Campaigns. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
- ^ "VA Lt. Governor Race - Nov 03, 2009". Our Campaigns. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
- ^ "Bill Bolling Re-Elected Lt. Governor of Virginia". newsplex.com. The Charlottesville Newsplex. November 3, 2009. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
- ^ Bob Lewis, "McDonnel Names 3 to Cabinet-Level Posts," Associated Press, December 10, 2009, http://www.ltgov.virginia.gov/news/viewArticle.aspx?articleID=579&articleType=A Archived November 17, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ a b "Bolling ties 2013 hopes to Romney". Washingtontimes.com. December 20, 2011. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
- ^ Kumar, Anita (June 7, 2012). "Rep. Eric Cantor to endorse Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling over Atty. Gen. Ken Cuccinelli in governor's race". Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
- ^ Kumar, Anita. "Bolling forms committee to run for governor in 2013". Voices.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
- ^ Kumar, Anita (December 1, 2011). "Ken Cuccinelli announces he will run for Va. governor in 2013". Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
- ^ Kunkle, Fredrick (August 1, 2011). "Va. Lt. Gov. Bolling selected as Romney's state campaign chair". Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
- ^ Vozzella, Laura (July 17, 2012). "Ken Cuccinelli's fundraising lags behind Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling's". Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
- ^ The Associated Press (June 16, 2012). "Virginia GOP picks closed convention for 2013". Hamptonroads.com. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
- ^ "Bolling to exit Va. gov race". Politico.com. November 28, 2012. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
- ^ "Bolling dropping out of race for Va. governor". The Virginian-Pilot. November 28, 2012.
- ^ Haines, Errin & Laura Vozzella (November 28, 2012). "Narrowing field could leave stark choice in Va. governor's race". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 29, 2012.
- ^ Burns, Alexander (March 12, 2013). "Bill Bolling rejects run as independent in Virginia governor's race". Politico. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
- ^ Delesline, Nate (August 19, 2013). "Bolling: Race for governor could discourage moderate and independent voters". The Daily Progress. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
- ^ Contorno, Steve (May 7, 2013). "Bill Billing rips into Ken Cuccinelli and Terry McAuliffe tax plans". The Washington Examiner. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
External links
- Senate of Virginia: Bill Bolling
- Bolling for Governor Official website
- Bolling Sees Job Creation as Road to Top Job, Jim Nolan, Richmond Times-Dispatch, May 29, 2011
- Appearances on C-SPAN
