Bill Bolling
Encyclopedia
William T. "Bill" Bolling (born June 15, 1957) is the current Lieutenant Governor of Virginia
. Running as a Republican
, he was elected twice to the position by defeating his Democratic opponent in both the 2005 and 2009
general elections. He is the first Lieutenant Governor in the Commonwealth of Virginia to serve two consecutive terms since Don Beyer
. In addition, he currently serves in Governor Bob McDonnell
's cabinet as the Chief Jobs Creation Officer.
in 1957. He was 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 and was the first member of his family to graduate from college.
Board of Supervisors
. Bolling won that office and served as a member of the Board until 1995. While a member, Bolling also served as the Chairman of the Board of supervisors.
as a member of the in a highly contested political campaign against twenty year Democrat incumbent, Elmo G. Cross, Jr. Bolling represented Virginia's 4th District including Caroline
, Essex
, Hanover
, King and Queen
, King William
, Middlesex
, Spotsylvania
(part) counties. Bolling was reelected to this position in 1999 and 2003 and served in the Senate of Virginia
from 1996 to 2005.
. In the Republican primary, he defeated Sean Connaughton
with 58% of the vote. In the general election, he defeated Democratic nominee and State Senator Leslie Larkin Byrne 50%-49%. He won even though Republican nominee for Governor Jerry Kilgore lost the 2005 gubernatorial election
.
In 2009, Bolling ran for re-election. He defeated Democratic nominee Jody Wagner
with 57% of the vote. He underperformed Republican nominee for Governor Bob McDonnell
, who won the 2009 gubernatorial election
with 59% of the vote.
, along with the other Executive Branch officers, including Democratic Governor Tim Kaine
and Republican Attorney General Bob McDonnell
. Upon his re-election in 2009, Bolling became the first Lieutenant Governor since Don Beyer
to be elected to two consecutive terms.
As Lieutenant Governor, Bolling leveraged the Office of the Lieutenant Governor as a podium to promote a number of programs and initiatives focused on the quality of life and health care in Virginia. Bolling promoted multiple programs including his September program focused on encouraging a healthy and active life, his Ending Cervical Cancer in our Lifetime program focused on raising awareness about Cervical Cancer and HPV, and his Helping Virginians Breathe Easier campaign focused on asthma awareness.
Also as Lieutenant Governor, Bolling put forth a statewide initiative, "100 Ideas for the Future of Virginia". This two year program focused on 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 promoting feedback from the people of Virginia to develop a long term strategy for addressing issues like education, transportation, public safety, health care, protecting the environment, reforming government, and more.
named Bolling state chairman of Romney's 2012 presidential campaign
.
and Computer Science
. Kevin graduated from James Madison University
.
Lieutenant Governor of Virginia
The Lieutenant Governor is a constitutional officer of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Lieutenant Governor is elected every four years along with the Governor and Attorney General. The office is currently held by Republican William T. Bolling. The governor and lieutenant governor are elected...
. Running as a Republican
Republican Party of Virginia
The Republican Party of Virginia is the Virginia chapter of the Republican Party. It is based in the Richard D. Obenshain Center in Richmond in the Commonwealth of Virginia.- Organization and candidate selection :The State Party Plan...
, he was elected twice to the position by defeating his Democratic opponent in both the 2005 and 2009
Virginia elections, 2009
The following offices were up for election in the United States Commonwealth of Virginia in the November 2009 general election:*Three statewide offices – Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General – for four-year terms...
general elections. He is the first Lieutenant Governor in the Commonwealth of Virginia to serve two consecutive terms since Don Beyer
Don Beyer
Donald Sternoff "Don" Beyer, Jr. is the U.S. ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein. In addition, he owns automobile dealerships in Virginia, and has a long record involved in community, political and philanthropic work....
. In addition, he currently serves in Governor Bob McDonnell
Bob McDonnell
Robert Francis "Bob" McDonnell is an American politician who has been the 71st Governor of Virginia since January 2010. A former lieutenant colonel in the United States Army, McDonnell served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1993 to 2006 and served as Attorney General of Virginia from 2006...
's cabinet as the Chief Jobs Creation Officer.
Early life, education, and early career
Bolling was born in Sistersville, West VirginiaSistersville, West Virginia
Sistersville is a city in Tyler County, West Virginia, along the Ohio River. The population was 1,588 at the 2000 census. The Sistersville Ferry crosses the Ohio River to the unincorporated community of Fly in Monroe County, Ohio.-Geography:...
in 1957. He was raised in the coal fields of southwest Virginia
Southwest Virginia
Southwest Virginia, often abbreviated as SWVA, is a mountainous region of Virginia in the westernmost part of the commonwealth. Southwest Virginia has been defined alternatively as all Virginia counties on the Appalachian Plateau, all Virginia counties west of the Eastern Continental Divide, or...
and southern West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
. He graduated from the University of Charleston
University of Charleston
The University of Charleston is a private university in Charleston, West Virginia, United States of over 1,300 students.-History:The school was founded in 1888 as the Barboursville Seminary of the Southern Methodist Church...
(West Virginia) in 1978 with a B.S. degree in Political Science and was the first member of his family to graduate from college.
Hanover County Board of Supervisors
Bolling first ran for elected office in 1991 for a position on the Hanover CountyHanover County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 86,320 people, 31,121 households, and 24,461 families residing in the county. The population density was 183 people per square mile . There were 32,196 housing units at an average density of 68 per square mile...
Board of Supervisors
County board of supervisors
The Board of Supervisors is the body that supervises the operation of county government in all counties in Arizona, California, Iowa, Mississippi, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Sussex County, New Jersey as well as a handful of counties in New York...
. Bolling won that office and served as a member of the Board until 1995. While a member, Bolling also served as the Chairman of the Board of supervisors.
Elections
In 1995, Bolling was elected to the Senate of VirginiaSenate of Virginia
The Senate of Virginia is the upper house of the Virginia General Assembly. The Senate is composed of 40 Senators representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts. The Senate is presided over by the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia...
as a member of the in a highly contested political campaign against twenty year Democrat incumbent, Elmo G. Cross, Jr. Bolling represented Virginia's 4th District including Caroline
Caroline County, Virginia
Caroline County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2010, the population was 28,545. Its county seat is Bowling Green. Caroline County is also home to The Meadow stables, the birthplace of the renowned racehorse Secretariat, winner of the 1973 Kentucky Derby, Preakness and...
, Essex
Essex County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,989 people, 3,995 households, and 2,740 families residing in the county. The population density was 39 people per square mile . There were 4,926 housing units at an average density of 19 per square mile...
, Hanover
Hanover County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 86,320 people, 31,121 households, and 24,461 families residing in the county. The population density was 183 people per square mile . There were 32,196 housing units at an average density of 68 per square mile...
, King and Queen
King and Queen County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 6,630 people, 2,673 households, and 1,897 families residing in the county. The population density was 21 people per square mile . There were 3,010 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile...
, King William
King William County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 13,146 people, 4,846 households, and 3,784 families residing in the county. The population density was 48 people per square mile . There were 5,189 housing units at an average density of 19 per square mile...
, Middlesex
Middlesex County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,932 people, 4,253 households, and 2,913 families residing in the county. The population density was 76 people per square mile . There were 6,362 housing units at an average density of 49 per square mile...
, Spotsylvania
Spotsylvania County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 90,395 people, 31,308 households, and 24,639 families residing in the county. The population density was 226 people per square mile . There were 33,329 housing units at an average density of 83 per square mile...
(part) counties. Bolling was reelected to this position in 1999 and 2003 and served in the Senate of Virginia
Senate of Virginia
The Senate of Virginia is the upper house of the Virginia General Assembly. The Senate is composed of 40 Senators representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts. The Senate is presided over by the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia...
from 1996 to 2005.
Committee assignments
As a member of the General Assembly, Bolling served as Chairman of the Joint Republican Caucus, the Virginia Republican Senatorial Committee, Chairman of the Senate's sub-committee on Health Care, the Commission on the Future of Virginia's Environment, and the Chesapeake Bay Commission.Elections
In 2005, Bolling ran for the office of Lieutenant Governor of VirginiaLieutenant Governor of Virginia
The Lieutenant Governor is a constitutional officer of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Lieutenant Governor is elected every four years along with the Governor and Attorney General. The office is currently held by Republican William T. Bolling. The governor and lieutenant governor are elected...
. In the Republican primary, he defeated Sean Connaughton
Sean Connaughton
Sean T. Connaughton is the current Secretary of Transportation for the Commonwealth of Virginia. He served as the Maritime Administrator, the head of the U.S. Maritime Administration, an agency of the United States Department of Transportation, from 2006 until early 2009...
with 58% of the vote. In the general election, he defeated Democratic nominee and State Senator Leslie Larkin Byrne 50%-49%. He won even though Republican nominee for Governor Jerry Kilgore lost the 2005 gubernatorial election
Virginia gubernatorial election, 2005
The Virginia gubernatorial election of 2005 was a race for the Governor of Virginia, United States, held on November 8, 2005, and won by Democrat Tim Kaine. Virginia is the only state in the United States to prohibit governors from serving successive terms, so the popular incumbent, Mark R...
.
In 2009, Bolling ran for re-election. He defeated Democratic nominee Jody Wagner
Jody Wagner
Jody Moses Wagner is an American politician from Virginia Beach, Virginia. A Democrat, she served as State Treasurer of Virginia from January 2002 to January 2006, and as Virginia Secretary of Finance from January 2006 to August 2008...
with 57% of the vote. He underperformed Republican nominee for Governor Bob McDonnell
Bob McDonnell
Robert Francis "Bob" McDonnell is an American politician who has been the 71st Governor of Virginia since January 2010. A former lieutenant colonel in the United States Army, McDonnell served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1993 to 2006 and served as Attorney General of Virginia from 2006...
, who won the 2009 gubernatorial election
Virginia gubernatorial election, 2009
The Virginia gubernatorial election of 2009 took place on November 3, 2009. The election chose Bob McDonnell as the next Governor, Bill Bolling re-elected as Lieutenant Governor, and Ken Cuccinelli as the next Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The winners were inaugurated on January...
with 59% of the vote.
Kaine administration
He was inaugurated as Lieutenant Governor on January 14, 2006 in Williamsburg, VirginiaWilliamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg is an independent city located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, USA. As of the 2010 Census, the city had an estimated population of 14,068. It is bordered by James City County and York County, and is an independent city...
, along with the other Executive Branch officers, including Democratic Governor Tim Kaine
Tim Kaine
Timothy Michael "Tim" Kaine is a Virginia politician. Kaine served as the 70th Governor of Virginia from 2006 to 2010, and was the chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2009 to 2011...
and Republican Attorney General Bob McDonnell
Bob McDonnell
Robert Francis "Bob" McDonnell is an American politician who has been the 71st Governor of Virginia since January 2010. A former lieutenant colonel in the United States Army, McDonnell served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1993 to 2006 and served as Attorney General of Virginia from 2006...
. Upon his re-election in 2009, Bolling became the first Lieutenant Governor since Don Beyer
Don Beyer
Donald Sternoff "Don" Beyer, Jr. is the U.S. ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein. In addition, he owns automobile dealerships in Virginia, and has a long record involved in community, political and philanthropic work....
to be elected to two consecutive terms.
As Lieutenant Governor, Bolling leveraged the Office of the Lieutenant Governor as a podium to promote a number of programs and initiatives focused on the quality of life and health care in Virginia. Bolling promoted multiple programs including his September program focused on encouraging a healthy and active life, his Ending Cervical Cancer in our Lifetime program focused on raising awareness about Cervical Cancer and HPV, and his Helping Virginians Breathe Easier campaign focused on asthma awareness.
Also as Lieutenant Governor, Bolling put forth a statewide initiative, "100 Ideas for the Future of Virginia". This two year program focused on 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 promoting feedback from the people of Virginia to develop a long term strategy for addressing issues like education, transportation, public safety, health care, protecting the environment, reforming government, and more.
McDonnell administration
He was one of newly elected Governor McDonnell's first cabinet members, and was appointed as Chief Jobs Creation Officer; the first job czar. Regarding creation of the position, McDonnell stated, "I'm going to turn him into the busiest lieutenant governor in the nation."2012 presidential campaign
On August 1, 2011, Mitt RomneyMitt Romney
Willard Mitt Romney is an American businessman and politician. He was the 70th Governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 and is a candidate for the 2012 Republican Party presidential nomination.The son of George W...
named Bolling state chairman of Romney's 2012 presidential campaign
Mitt Romney presidential campaign, 2012
The Mitt Romney 2012 presidential campaign began informally shortly after the 2008 presidential election. Having campaigned for the Republican nomination in 2008, the former Governor of Massachusetts was frequently mentioned as a possible candidate for the 2012 Republican Party nomination for U.S....
.
Renewable energy
- On March 22, 2010, Bolling announced $10 million in rebatesTax refundA tax refund or tax rebate is a refund on taxes when the tax liability is less than the taxes paid. Taxpayers can often get a tax refund on their income tax if the tax they owe is less than the sum of the total amount of the withholding taxes and estimated taxes that they paid, plus the...
for home owners and small businessSmall businessA small business is a business that is privately owned and operated, with a small number of employees and relatively low volume of sales. Small businesses are normally privately owned corporations, partnerships, or sole proprietorships...
es to reduce energy costs and to increase usage of solar panels. - On June 17, 2010, Bolling announced $800,000 from the Virginia government to James Madison UniversityJames Madison UniversityJames Madison University is a public coeducational research university located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, U.S. Founded in 1908 as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg, the university has undergone four name changes before settling with James Madison University...
to further research in wind energy, including "turbine testing, research and curriculum"
Gun control
- The National Rifle AssociationNational Rifle AssociationThe National Rifle Association of America is an American non-profit 501 civil rights organization which advocates for the protection of the Second Amendment of the United States Bill of Rights and the promotion of firearm ownership rights as well as marksmanship, firearm safety, and the protection...
endorses Bolling in his first bid for Lieutenant GovernorLieutenant Governor of VirginiaThe Lieutenant Governor is a constitutional officer of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Lieutenant Governor is elected every four years along with the Governor and Attorney General. The office is currently held by Republican William T. Bolling. The governor and lieutenant governor are elected...
in 2005, and then again for re-election in 2009
Personal life
He is married to Jean Ann Kincaid, whom he met in college. They have two children. Matthew Bolling graduated from Virginia Tech in Computer EngineeringComputer engineering
Computer engineering, also called computer systems engineering, is a discipline that integrates several fields of electrical engineering and computer science required to develop computer systems. Computer engineers usually have training in electronic engineering, software design, and...
and Computer Science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
. Kevin graduated from James Madison University
James Madison University
James Madison University is a public coeducational research university located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, U.S. Founded in 1908 as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg, the university has undergone four name changes before settling with James Madison University...
.