Bill Bolling
| Bill Bolling | ||
 | ||
| Lieutenant Governor of Virginia | ||
| Incumbent | ||
| In office | ||
| January 14, 2006 - Present | ||
| Years in position | 7 | |
| Party | Republican | |
| Predecessor | Tim Kaine (D) | |
| Compensation | ||
| Base salary | $36,321 | |
| Elections and appointments | ||
| First elected | November 8, 2005 | |
| Campaign $ | $7,655,162 | |
| Term limits | N/A | |
| Prior offices | ||
| Virginia State Senate | ||
| January, 1996 – November 29, 2005 | ||
| Education | ||
| Bachelor's | University of Charleston (1979) | |
| Personal | ||
| Birthday | June 15, 1957 | |
| Place of birth | Sistesville, West Virginia | |
| Religion | United Methodist | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
Contents |
With the Virginia State Senate tied 20-20 in 2012, Bolling served as tie-breaker in the chamber, one of the few duties assigned to the lieutenant governor. Bolling broke 28 times in 2012, a record number. Each time he sided with Republicans.[3]
Bolling was seeking the 2013 Republican gubernatorial nomination, but suspended his campaign on November 28, 2012. Bolling left open the possibility of entering the race independently of his party, however, he announced on March 12, 2013 that he had decided against running as an independent as well. The Republican Party of Virginia's switch to a closed nominating convention in 2013 tipped the scales in favor of nominating conservative attorney general Ken Cuccinelli, Bolling's "intraparty rival,"[4] resulting in Bolling's initial withdrawal, and ultimately ending his path to the 2013 gubernatorial ballot. [5]
Biography
Bolling was born and raised in the coal fields of Southwest Virginia and southern West Virginia. He graduated from the University of Charleston (West Virginia) in 1978 with a B.S. degree in Political Science.
Before running for Virginia State Senate, Bolling served as a member and Chairman of the Hanover County Board of Supervisors.
Education
- Bachelor's degree in Political Science, University of Charleston (1979)
Political career
Lieutenant Governor of Virginia (2006-present)
Bolling was first elected lieutenant governor on November 8, 2005. He was re-elected in 2009.
Presidential preference
2012
Bill Bolling endorsed Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election. [6]
Ban on offshore drilling
On December 1, 2010, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar let it be known that new drilling leases for Virginia would be a long time coming.
Gov. Bob McDonnell responded:
- “Advances in technology continue to make offshore energy production more cost effective and safe. Instead of using that technology to produce more energy in a responsible manner here at home, this administration apparently prefers that we continue to depend more and more on oil from other nations and foreign cartels with far-less stringent environmental regulations and policies."
Bolling joined McDonnell in opposing the decision.
"I am very disappointed that the Obama administration has refused to move forward with the responsible development of our nation’s offshore energy resources," Bolling said.
Sen. Mark Warner also agreed with McDonnell. Warner said he was "disappointed" by the announcement.
"Senator Warner will continue to work with Governor McDonnell and other state and local officials, as well as the bipartisan Virginia delegation, to explore ways to re-examine this decision," said a statement from his office.[7]
Virginia State Senate (1996-2005)
Prior to his position as lieutenant governor, Bolling served as a member of the Virginia Senate from 1996-2005.
Elections
2013
- See also: Virginia gubernatorial election, 2013
On November 28, 2012, Bolling suspended his campaign for Governor of Virginia, citing his slim chances of beating tea party favorite Ken Cuccinelli, the current Attorney General of Virginia, for the party's nomination since the Republican Party of Virginia opted to change the format for selecting its gubernatorial, lt. gubernatorial, and attorney general nominees from primary election to closed nominating convention.[8] Although Bolling was explicit about ending his pursuit of a place on the Republican ticket, he waited until March 12 before ruling out entering the race altogether, allowing himself time to weigh the possibility of running as an independent candidate instead.[9]
Bolling released an official statement explaining his decision to not resume his campaign as an Independent on his official campaign website. “Given the current political dynamics in Virginia, the prospects of an Independent campaign were very appealing to me...However, after a great deal of consideration I have decided that I will not be an Independent candidate for Governor this year," he wrote. Bolling highlighted three main factors that dissuaded him from running: The seemingly insurmountable challenge of running a serious campaign without the funding, resources brought by a major party, the prospect of cutting ties with the GOP, and, finally, his "growing dissatisfaction with the current political environment in Virginia," which he sees as excessively partisan.[5]
Endorsements
Incumbent Gov. McDonnell, who is term-limited and cannot seek re-election in 2013, had previously pledged his support for Bolling's candidacy- in part because Bolling refrained from challenging McDonnell for governor in 2009.[10] After Bolling withdrew his bid for the GOP gubernatorial nomination in 2013, McDonnell commented, "I have also told Bill how much this Commonwealth needs him to stay involved in public life in the years ahead. And I know he is not done advocating positive conservative ideas.”[9]
Race background
Current Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell (R) is ineligible to run for re-election in 2013 because of term limits. The term limits Virginia imposes on its governors are more strict than any other state in the country: under the commonwealth's constitution, no governor may serve back-to-back terms. This means that McDonnell, unlike other governors in their first term, is ineligible to run for re-election until a full term has passed.
There are no such term limits on the attorney general, and many were surprised at current AG Ken Cuccinelli's (R) decision to run for governor rather than seek another term. If not for Cuccinelli, Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling would have been the frontrunner for the Republican nomination to succeed current Governor Bob McDonnell. Bolling expressed more disappointment than surprise that Cuccinelli had chose to challenge him in the gubernatorial primary rather than be his lieutenant gubernatorial running-mate, noting "nothing he does surprises me."[11]
Bolling suspended his campaign on November 28, 2012, citing his slim chances beating tea party favorite and attorney general Ken Cuccinelli for the party's nomination. Bolling's withdrawal stems from a decision by Virginia Republicans to change their method for selecting gubernatorial nominees from open primary election to closed nominating convention.[12] Although Bolling was explicit about ending his pursuit of a place on the Republican ticket, he waited until March 12 before ruling out the possibility of running as an independent candidate instead.[9] About the alternative of seeking re-election to his current post, Bolling stated that, “Under normal circumstances, I would be open to the possibility of running for another term as lieutenant governor, but I would not be interested in running on a statewide ticket with Mr. Cuccinelli.”[13] He later said he regretted dropping out of the race as early as he did.[14]
McDonnell had previously pledged his support for Bolling's candidacy- in part because Bolling refrained from challenging McDonnell for governor in 2009. After Bolling bowed out, McDonnell chose to endorse fellow Republican Cuccinelli for his successor, despite Cuccinelli's outspoken opposition to McDonnell's Transportation Initiative, which is considered to be the centerpiece of his gubernatorial legacy. Ironically, Cuccinelli's future general election opponent, former Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe, has been equally outspoken on the issue, but as an advocate and defender of the outgoing governor's approach to amending the state's transportation funding policy. [15][16][17]
In response to the major party nominees, the Libertarian Party held a special convention and nominated Robert Sarvis as the party's official gubernatorial candidate.[18]
Like Cuccinelli and Sarvis, McAuliffe faced no primary contest. The three contenders will square off in the general election on November 5, 2013.[19]
2009
Bolling defeated Democrat Jody M. Wagner for lieutenant governor in the November 2009 general election, earning 56.51% of the total vote.[2]
| Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, 2009 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  William T. "Bill" Bolling |
56.5% | 1,106,793 | |
| Democratic | Jody M. Wagner | 43.4% | 850,111 | |
| N/A | Write-in | 0.1% | 1,569 | |
| Total Votes | 1,958,473 | |||
Campaign donors
Comprehensive donor information for Bolling is available dating back to 1999. Based on available campaign finance records, Bolling raised a total of $7,655,162 during that time period. This information was last updated on May 8, 2013.[20]
| Bill Bolling's Campaign Contribution History | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Office | Result | Contributions | |
| 2011 | VA Lieutenant Governor |  |
$84,588 | |
| 2009 | VA Lieutenant Governor |  |
$4,157,879 | |
| 2005 | VA Lieutenant Governor/VA State Senate* | |
$2,993,598 | |
| 2003 | VA State Senate | |
$160,104 | |
| 2001 | VA State Senate | |
$133,595 | |
| 1999 | VA State Senate | |
$125,398 | |
| Grand Total Raised | $7,655,162 | |||
| *In 2005, Bolling raised $48,850 for his Senate seat, which was not up for re-election, and $2,944,748 for the Lt. Gov race, which he won. | ||||
2005-2009
Ballotpedia collects information on campaign donors for each year in which a candidate or incumbent is running for election. The following table offers a breakdown of Bill Bolling's donors each year.[21] Click [show] for more information.
| Bill Bolling's Campaign Contributions | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 Lieutenant Governor of Virginia | 2009 Lieutenant Governor of Virginia | ||||||||||||||||||
| Total Raised | $2,944,748 | $4,157,879 | |||||||||||||||||
| Total Raised by General Election Opponent | $1,414,256 (Dem) | $3,384,907 (Dem) | |||||||||||||||||
| Top 5 contributors | Republican National Committee | $80,137 | Building a Better Virginia | $390,000 | |||||||||||||||
| Virginia Republican Party | $64,845 | Virginia Republican Party | $132,050 | ||||||||||||||||
| Terrence D Daniels | $54,808 | Republican National Committee | $87,500 | ||||||||||||||||
| Friends of Bill WM Bolling | $51,420 | Dominion | $72,785 | ||||||||||||||||
| Paul C Jost | $51,400 | Alpha Natural Resources | $60,000 | ||||||||||||||||
| Individuals | $1,226,725 | $1,739,268 | |||||||||||||||||
| Institutions | $1,203,269 | $1,299,708 | |||||||||||||||||
| In-state donations | $2,675,081 | $3,455,215 | |||||||||||||||||
| Out-of-state donations | $252,617 | $383,545 | |||||||||||||||||
Personal
Bolling resides in Mechanicsville, Virginia. He and his wife, Jean Anne, have two children, Matt and Kevin.[22]
Recent news
This section displays the most recent stories in a Google news search for the term "Bill + Bolling + Virginia + Lieutenant + Governor"
- All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.
Bill Bolling News Feed
- Bill Bolling: GOP pick EW Jackson's remarks 'indefensible' - Politico
- Virginia Lt. Gov. Bolling blasts candidate EW Jackson's comments - Metro Weekly
- Bill Bolling: EW Jackson's Remarks 'Are Simply Not Appropriate' - Huffington Post
- Bolling blasts selection of EW Jackson - Washington Post
- Virginia slipping out of Republicans' grip of old - NorthJersey.com
- Virginia Republican Bolling criticizes 'hyper-partisan' politicians - Kansas Watchdog (blog)
- Winning Va. lieutenant governor would give Democrats leg up - Washington Times
- Virginia Losing Republican Grip of Old Dominion With New Voters - Businessweek
- Brzezinski: 'I'm probably guilty' of hypocrisy on Bush-Cheney vs. Obama NSA ... - Daily Caller
- Bolling criticizes Cuccinelli's stand on tax incentives in speech to Roanoke ... - Roanoke Times
Cite error: <ref> tags exist, but no <references/> tag was found
See also
External links
- Bill Bolling
- Office of the Lt. Gov. of Virginia
- Campaign contributions: 2011, 2009, 2005 (Senate), 2005 (Lt. Gov.), 2003, 2001, 1999
- News: Governor Criticizes Judicial-Selection Process, December 11th, 2011
References
- ↑ "Bill Bolling" The Lieutenant Governor's Inaugural Celebration Information
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Virginia State Board of Elections, "2009 General Election Results," accessed November 29, 2012
- ↑ Washington Post, "More independent Bolling returns to role as tiebreaker in Virginia Senate," January 5, 2013
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedbolls - ↑ 5.0 5.1 Bill Bolling Lieutenant Governor, "Press release: Bolling Says No to Possible Independent Campaign for Governor," March 12, 2013
- ↑ Mitt Romney for President, "Mitt Romney Announces Virginia Leadership Team," December 29, 2011
- ↑ "No off-shore drilling in Virginia, says Obama," Virginia Statehouse News, December 6, 2010
- ↑ The Washington Post, "GOP Fratricide in Virginia," December 1, 2012
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Washington Post, "Bill Bolling decides not to seek GOP nomination for VA governor," November 28, 2012
- ↑ The Collegian, "Obama victory could cost Democrats Virginia governorship," November 15, 2012
- ↑ Richmond Times Dispatch, "Bolling on Cuccinelli: 'Nothing he does surprises me'," December 6, 2011
- ↑ The Washington Post, "GOP Fratricide in Virginia," December 1, 2012
- ↑ The Roanoke Times, "Could Bolling run for governor as an independent?," November 28, 2102
- ↑ The Richmond Times-Dispatch, "Bolling regrets dropping out of the race so soon," April 22, 2013
- ↑ The Collegian, "Obama victory could cost Democrats Virginia governorship," November 15, 2012
- ↑ NBC 12- Decision Virginia 2013, "Transportation battle creates awkward political triangle," March 26, 2013
- ↑ Washington Post, "Cuccinelli vs. McAuliffe: Virginia governor’s race holds the eyes of the nation," March 29, 2013
- ↑ Independent Political Report, "Robert Sarvis Receives Libertarian Party of Virginia Nomination for Governor in 2013," accessed April 27, 2013
- ↑ Associated Press - abc7.com, "Terry McAuliffe qualifies for Virginia June Democratic primary ballot," March 27, 2013
- ↑ Follow the Money, " Career fundraising for Bill Bolling," accessed May 8, 2013
- ↑ Follow the Money.org
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Biography of Bill Bolling," accessed November 16, 2012
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Tim Kaine (D) |
Lieutenant Governor of Virginia 2006 - present |
Succeeded by NA |
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