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Barbara Ruth Bellar
| Barbara Ruth Bellar | ||
 | ||
| Candidate for | ||
| Illinois State Senate District 18 | ||
| Party | Republican | |
| Education | ||
| Bachelor's | Loyola University Chicago (1973) | |
| Master's | Loyola University Chicago (2009) | |
| J.D. | John Marshall Law School (2002) | |
| Military service | ||
| Service/branch | United States Army Reserve | |
| Personal | ||
| Profession | Attorney/Physician/Professor | |
| Websites | ||
| Personal website | ||
| Campaign website | ||
 | ||
Contents |
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Bellar is a licensed attorney, a physician, and an adjunct faculty member at DePaul University and Benedictine University. She has a Masters in Bioethics and Health Policy from Loyola University and a JD from John Marshall Law School. Bellar is a Veteran Major in the United States Army Reserves.[1][2]
Issues
Viral video describing health care overhaul
Bellar gained national attention for a viral video description of The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. She set out to describe U.S. President Barack Obama's signature piece of legislation of the first two years of his presidency in one sentence. Bellar's presentation drew favorable reaction from the crowd. The short video of her presentation and her full speech including the remarks have, collectively, over 3.5 million views on YouTube as of February 8, 2013.[3][4]
Biography controversy
SouthtownStar columnist Phil Kadner questioned Bellar's substantial list of credentials in an opinion piece, asserting that her references to her past as a nun and her failure to list that the bulk of her medical degree was completed in Mexico misled voters.[5][6] Bellar responded with a letter to the SouthtownStar and Orland Park Patch defending her credentials and posted images of her degrees and certificates on her website.[7][8]
Elections
2012
- See also: Illinois State Senate elections, 2012
Bellar ran in the 2012 election for Illinois State Senate District 18. Bellar defeated Ricardo Fernandez in the Republican Primary on March 20, 2012 and was defeated by current state representative Democrat Bill Cunningham in the general election on November 6, 2012.[9][10][11]
| Illinois State Senate, District 18, General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Bill Cunningham |
63.7% | 60,325 | |
| Republican | Barbara Ruth Bellar | 36.3% | 34,338 | |
| Total Votes | 94,663 | |||
| Illinois State Senate, District 18 Republican Primary, 2012 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|
Barbara Ruth Bellar |
74.1% | 9,846 |
| Ricardo Fernandez | 25.9% | 3,434 |
| Total Votes | 13,280 | |
Endorsements
Bellar was endorsed by Family-Pac.[12] According to her campaign website, she was also endorsed by:[13]
- Illinois Federation for Right to Life
- Illinois Family Action
- Illinois Patriot Alliance
- Illinois Family Institute
- Homer/Lockport Tea Party
|
|
2010
Bellar lost election to the 35th District seat in the Illinois House of Representatives against Bill Cunningham.[14] She ran unopposed in the Republican primary on February 2nd. The general election took place on November 2, 2010.
| Illinois House of Representatives, District 35 General Election, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Bill Cunningham |
58.4% | 21,649 | |
| Republican | Barbara Ruth Bellar | 41.6% | 15,450 | |
| Total Votes | 37,099 | |||
Personal
Bellar is married to Harold Welsch, a Professor of Entrepreneurship at DePaul University. She previously served as a Benedictine nun for five years, and later clarified that she did not take any vows.[1][15]
Bellar has said, "I practice what I preach. I work hard, play hard, pray hard and study hard. My personal relationship with God in my life is of utmost importance and I pray for wisdom, clarity and guidance to do all things to His Glory! I believe we are here on earth to contribute to make it a better life for each other and the secret to success is perseverance."[16]
External links
- Official campaign website
- Project Vote Smart biography
- Barbara Bellar on Facebook
- Barbara Bellar on YouTube
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Elect Bellar, "Bio," accessed January 3, 2012
- ↑ Biographical Submission via email, February 7, 2013
- ↑ Palos Patch, "Senate Candidate Barbara Bellar's YouTube Video Tops 1 Million Views," September 16, 2012
- ↑ The National Review Online, "Obamacare in One Sentence," September 10, 2012
- ↑ Orland Park Patch, "Did Barbara Bellar Fib About Being a Nun?" October 23, 2012
- ↑ SouthtownStar, "Kadner: State Senate candidate Barbara Bellar a ‘former nun’ without vows," October 22, 2012
- ↑ Oak Lawn Patch, "'My Life is an Open Book,' GOP Senate Candidate Tells Kadner and Voters," October 24, 2012
- ↑ ElectBellar, "Dr. Barbara Bellar's Credentials," October 24, 2012
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections "Candidate List," December 5, 2011
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Official 2012 Primary Results"
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, “Official Vote - November 6, 2012 General Election,” accessed December 31, 2012
- ↑ Family-Pac, "Endorsements," accessed June 22, 2012
- ↑ Barbara Bellar, "Endorsements," accessed October 23, 2012
- ↑ Chicago Sun-Times, "2010 Election Results"
- ↑ Oak Lawn Patch, "'My Life is an Open Book,' GOP Senate Candidate Tells Kadner and Voters," October 24, 2012
- ↑ Bio submitted by Barbara Ruth Bellar to Ballotpedia on January 24, 2012
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