| William Troy "Bill" Bolling | |
|---|---|
| 39th Lieutenant Governor of Virginia | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 14, 2006 |
|
| Governor | Tim Kaine Bob McDonnell |
| Preceded by | Tim Kaine |
| Member of the Virginia Senate from the 4th District |
|
| In office January, 1996 – November 29, 2005[1] |
|
| Preceded by | Elmo G. Cross. Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Ryan McDougle |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 15, 1957 Sistersville, West Virginia |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Jean Ann Kincaid Bolling |
| Profession | Politician |
| Religion | United Methodist |
| Website | http://www.ltgov.virginia.gov |
William T. "Bill" Bolling (born June 15, 1957) is the 39th and 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.
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Bolling was born in Sistersville, West Virginia 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.
Bolling first ran for elected office in 1991 for a position on the Hanover County 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.
In 1995, Bolling was elected to the Senate 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, 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.
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.
In 2005, Bolling ran for the office of Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. In the Republican primary, he defeated Sean Connaughton with 58% of the vote.[2] In the general election, he defeated Democratic nominee and State Senator Leslie Larkin Byrne 50%-49%.[3] 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.[4] He underperformed Republican nominee for Governor Bob McDonnell, who won the 2009 gubernatorial election with 59% of the vote.
He was inaugurated as Lieutenant Governor on January 14, 2006 in Williamsburg, Virginia, 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.
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."
On August 1, 2011, Mitt Romney named Bolling state chairman of Romney's 2012 presidential campaign.[5]
He is married to Jean Ann Kincaid, whom he met in college. They have two children. Matthew Bolling graduated from Virginia Tech in Computer Engineering and Computer Science. Kevin graduated from James Madison University.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Tim Kaine |
Lieutenant Governor of Virginia 2006–present |
Incumbent |
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