Richard Bell (Virginia)
Richard P. Bell is a former Republican member of the Virginia House of Delegates, representing District 20 from 2010 to 2020. He did not seek re-election in 2019.
Biography
Bell attended Blue Ridge Community College, James Madison University, and Old Dominion University. He retired as a high school special education teacher. He served in the United States Navy Hospital Corp from 1967 to 1973.
Committee assignments
2019-2020
Bell was assigned to the following committees:
2016 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2016 legislative session, Bell served on the following committees:
| Virginia committee assignments, 2016 |
|---|
| • Education |
| • General laws |
| • Health, Welfare and Institutions |
2015 legislative session
In the 2015 legislative session, Bell served on the following committees:
| Virginia committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Education |
| • General laws |
| • Health, Welfare and Institutions |
2014 legislative session
In the 2014 legislative session, Bell served on the following committees:
| Virginia committee assignments, 2014 |
|---|
| • Education |
| • Finance |
| • Health, Welfare and Institutions |
2012-2013
In the 2012-2013 legislative session, Bell served on the following committees:
| Virginia committee assignments, 2012 |
|---|
| • Education |
| • Finance |
| • Health, Welfare and Institutions |
2010-2011
In the 2010-2011 legislative session, Bell served on the following committees:
| Virginia committee assignments, 2010 |
|---|
| • Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources |
| • Education |
| • Health, Welfare and Institutions |
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2019
Bell did not file to run for re-election in 2019.
2017
General election
Elections for the Virginia House of Delegates took place in 2017. All 100 house seats were up for election. The general election took place on November 7, 2017. A primary election took place on June 13, 2017. The filing deadline for primary election candidates was March 30, 2017. The filing deadline for non-party candidates and candidates nominated by methods other than a primary was June 13, 2017.[1] Incumbent Richard Bell (R) defeated Michele Edwards (D) and Will Hammer (Libertarian) in the Virginia House of Delegates District 20 general election.[2]
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 20 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Richard Bell Incumbent |
54.57% | 14,344 | |
| Democratic | Michele Edwards | 42.60% | 11,197 | |
| Libertarian | Will Hammer | 2.83% | 745 | |
| Total Votes | 26,286 | |||
| Source: Virginia Department of Elections | ||||
Democratic primary election
Michele Edwards ran unopposed in the Virginia House of Delegates District 20 Democratic primary.[3]
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 20 Democratic Primary, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | ||
| Michele Edwards | ||
Republican primary election
Incumbent Richard Bell ran unopposed in the Virginia House of Delegates District 20 Republican primary.[4]
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 20 Republican Primary, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | ||
| Richard Bell Incumbent | ||
2015
Elections for the Virginia House of Delegates took place in 2015. A primary election was held on June 9, 2015. The general election took place on November 3, 2015. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 26, 2015.[5] Richard Bell was unopposed in the Republican primary. Will Hammer ran as a Libertarian candidate. Bell defeated Hammer in the general election.[6][7]
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 20 General Election, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Richard Bell |
75.9% | 10,758 | |
| Libertarian | Will Hammer | 24.1% | 3,425 | |
| Total Votes | 14,183 | |||
2013
Bell won re-election in the 2013 election for Virginia House of Delegates District 20. Bell ran unopposed in the June 11th Republican Primary. He was unopposed in the general election, which took place on November 5, 2013.[8]
2011
Bell won re-election to the District 20 seat of the Virginia House of Delegates in 2011. He was uncontested in the August 23 primary and defeated Laura Kleiner (D) in the November 8 general election.[9]
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 20 General Election, 2011 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Richard Bell Incumbent |
71.1% | 9,522 | |
| Democratic | Laura Kleiner | 28.9% | 3,865 | |
| Total Votes | 13,387 | |||
2009
In 2009, Bell was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates. He defeated Erik Curren in the General Election.[10]
| Virginia House of Delegates General Election, District 20 (2009) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Richard Bell (R)
|
15,086 | |||
| Erik Curren (D) | 6,092 | |||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Campaign themes
2013
Bell’s website highlighted the following campaign themes:[11]
Excerpt: "...I Will Continue To..."
- "Be a leader for education reform and affordable college education."
- "Push for expanded career and technical education training."
- "Seek more transparency in the budget process."
- "Demand that we provide taxpayers with safe schools, safe streets, and safe neighborhoods."
- "Safeguard our Constitutional rights of life, liberty, and property."
2011
Bell’s website highlighted the following campaign themes:
- What the People of the 20th Want
Excerpt: "Voters in the 20th District want representatives who listen to them and act on their behalf. They want individual freedom to conduct their own lives and make personal choices. They want to raise their families without excessive government interference, and they want to feel safe in their neighborhoods and their homes. They want a representative who reflects their family values, their work ethic and who understands their hopes, their fears and their dreams. The people of the 20th District want and deserve good government, and I’ll see that they get it!"
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Virginia scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2020
In 2020, the Virginia State Legislature was in session from January 8 to March 12. A special session was held from August 18 to November 9.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues.
- Legislators are scored by the Family Foundation on their votes on bills related to "principles of life, marriage, parental authority, constitutional government and religious liberty."
- Legislators are scored based on their voting record on reproductive issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to the Second Amendment.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to education.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to the climate and energy.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental and conservation issues.
2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
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In 2019, the Virginia General Assembly was in session from January 9 through February 24.
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2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
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In 2018, the Virginia General Assembly was in session from January 10 through March 10. Special sessions were held from April 11 to May 30 and from August 30 to October 30.
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2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, the Virginia General Assembly was in session from January 11 through February 25.
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2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the Virginia General Assembly was in session from January 13 through March 11.
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2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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In 2015, the Virginia General Assembly was in session from January 14 to February 28, 2015.
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2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
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In 2014, the Virginia General Assembly was in session from January 8 through March 10.
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2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
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In 2013, the Virginia General Assembly was in session from January 9 to February 25.
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2012
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show]. |
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In 2012, the Virginia General Assembly was in regular session from January 11 to March 10.
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Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Bell and his wife, Anne, have two children, Erin and Brian.
See also
- Virginia State Legislature
- Virginia House of Delegates
- Virginia House of Delegates Committees
- Virginia state legislative districts
External links
- Virginia Public Access Project profile
- Profile from Open States
- Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Richard Bell on Facebook
- Bell's Wikipedia page
- Richmond Sunlight profile
Footnotes
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "Candidacy Requirements for the November 7, 2017 General Election," accessed March 21, 2017
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "2017 November General Unofficial Results," accessed November 7, 2017
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "2017 June Democratic Primary," accessed July 6, 2017
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "2017 June Republican Primary," accessed July 6, 2017
- ↑ Virginia State Board of Elections, "2015 November Election Calendar," accessed January 2, 2015
- ↑ Virginia Board of Elections, "2015 Primary election results," accessed September 1, 2015
- ↑ Virginia Board of Elections, "2015 General election candidates," accessed September 1, 2015
- ↑ Virginia Board of Elections, “Official Results - 2013 General Election," accessed December 2, 2013
- ↑ Virginia State Board of Elections, "November 2011 General Election Official Results," accessed May 15, 2014
- ↑ Follow the Money, "Virginia House of Delegates 2009 General Election Results," accessed May 15, 2014
- ↑ Delegate Richard Bell, "Issues," accessed August 28, 2013
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Chris Saxman |
Virginia House of Delegates District 20 2010-2020 |
Succeeded by NA |
