Barbara Bollier

Barbara Goolsbee Bollier (born January 13, 1958) is an American physician and politician. She is the Democratic candidate for the United States Senate from Kansas in the 2020 election. A member of the Kansas Senate, she represents the 7th district, which comprises Mission Hills in Johnson County. Bollier is a member of the Democratic Party, after having left the Republican Party in 2018.

Barbara Bollier
Member of the Kansas Senate
from the 7th district
Assumed office
January 9, 2017
Preceded byKay Wolf
Member of the Kansas House of Representatives
In office
January 5, 2010 – January 9, 2017
Preceded byTerrie Huntington
Succeeded byJerry Stogsdill
Constituency25th district (2010–2013)
21st district (2013–2017)
Personal details
Born
Barbara Goolsbee

(1958-01-13) January 13, 1958
Galveston, Texas, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic (2018–present)
Other political
affiliations		Republican (before 2018)
Spouse(s)Rene Bollier
Children2, including Bobby
EducationUniversity of Kansas (BGS)
University of Kansas Medical Center (MD)
WebsiteOfficial website

Early life and education

Barbara Goolsbee was born in Galveston, Texas, on January 13, 1958, while her father, Robert L. Goolsbee (1931–2015), was in his medical residency, and her mother, Betty, was a nurse, whom Goolsbee had met during an internship in Kansas City.[1] She grew up in Fairway, Kansas, and Mission Hills, where she attended public high schools.

After receiving an undergraduate degree at the University of Kansas, Bollier earned an MD from the University of Kansas School of Medicine. Her residency at Baylor College of Medicine was in anesthesiology; her father had attended Baylor University.

Medical career

After earning her MD, Bollier joined her father's practice at Surgicenter of Kansas City, one of the first freestanding outpatient surgery centers in America.[2]

Bollier retired from medicine in 1999.[3] She initially took a year off to help care for a family member, but then became increasingly involved as a volunteer with the Center for Practical Bioethics.[2] She also was active on the Shawnee Mission Education Foundation Board.[4]

Political career

Kansas House of Representatives

Bollier’s legislative career began in 2010 when Republican precinct committee members appointed her to replace a state representative who had been appointed to the state Senate.[2]

From 2010 to 2012 Bollier represented the 25th district as a Republican in the Kansas House of Representatives. She represented the 21st House district from 2013-2017.[5][6]

Bollier did not have a Republican primary challenger in 2010 or 2012. But in 2014 she faced Neil Melton, who received considerable support from the conservative Kansas Chamber PAC and from the national group Americans for Prosperity. Bollier won, 59 percent to 41 percent.[7]

Kansas State Senate

In May 2016, Bollier ran for the Kansas Senate 7th district, after Kansas Senator Kay Wolf announced that she was retiring.[8] Bollier won the seat by defeating Democrat Megan England, with 22,439 votes (54.3%) to 18,884 votes (45.6%).[9]

In July 2018, Kansas Senate President Susan Wagle removed Bollier as the Vice Chair of the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee after she endorsed Democrat Tom Niermann's campaign for Congress.[10] In the November 2018 election, Bollier supported the Democratic candidate for governor, state Senator Laura Kelly, over the Republican candidate, Secretary of State Kris Kobach. (Kelly was elected.)[11]

On December 12, 2018, Bollier changed her party affiliation to the Democratic Party, saying: "Morally, the party is not going where my compass resides. I'm looking forward to being in a party that represents the ideals that I do, including Medicaid expansion and funding our K–12 schools."[12] Bollier said that the "breaking point" had been the Kansas Republican Party's inclusion of anti-transgender language in its platform.

Two other Kansas legislators, state Representative Stephanie Clayton and state Senator Dinah Sykes, also switched from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party in December 2018.[13]

2020 U.S. Senate election
Main article: 2020 United States Senate election in Kansas

On October 16, 2019, Bollier announced that she would run in the 2020 election for the United States Senate seat being vacated by the retiring Pat Roberts.[14] The next day, former United States Attorney for Kansas Barry Grissom dropped out of the race and endorsed Bollier.[15] Grissom's withdrawal from the race came despite his having raised almost half a million dollars in contributions during the previous quarter. His departure left Bollier as the party's clear frontrunner in the primary.[16] She won the Democratic primary on August 4, 2020 with 87.5 % of the vote, and will face Republican plurality winner, Representative Roger Marshall, (KS-1) in the general election. In the primary, Marshall lost by a majority in Wyandotte County, where Kansas City, Kansas is located, as well losing by pluralities in most counties in eastern Kansas, to former Kansas Secretary of State, far right-wing candidate, Kris Kobach.[17] Bollier said, "For me, I'm very, very conscious of listening to people and being there to be their voice."[18]

Bollier's senate candidacy was endorsed by former Democratic Governor Kathleen Sebelius.[19] Overland Park's Representative Clayton, who became a Democrat simultaneously with Bollier, said the Kansas Republican Party hasn't got anyone possessing equivalent sway as has Sebelius, given the stark divisions between that party's moderates and conservatives. Clayton commented, "When she talks, people listen. And that's that." The Sebelius endorsement came after Sebelius referenced Bollier's history of almost a decade of consistent support for fully funding schools, Medicaid Expansion, and the repeal of former governor Sam Brownback's "devastating tax experiment."[20]

If Bollier wins, she would be the first woman physician elected to the U.S. Senate.[21]

Personal life

While in medical school, Bollier met her husband Rene Bollier, a family medicine physician in Kansas City.[22] Their daughter Anne-Marie holds a master's degree in public health and is active in the art community of Melbourne, Australia.[23] Bobby Bollier, their son, is an American professional swimmer, a 14-time NCAA All-American while at Stanford University, before attending George Washington University Law School.[24]

Electoral history

2020
See also: 2020 United States Senate election in Kansas
Democratic primary results
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Barbara Bollier 166,146 85.46%
Democratic Robert Tillman 28,262 14.54%
Total votes 194,408 100.0%
United States Senate election in Kansas, 2020
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Republican Roger Marshall
Democratic Barbara Bollier
Libertarian Jason Buckley
Independent Paul Tuten
Total votes 100.0%

2016
See also: Kansas's 7th Senate district
Kansas State Senate, District 7 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Barbara Bollier 22,439 54.30%
Democratic Megan England 18,884 45.70%
Total votes 41,323 100.0%
Republican hold

References
  1. Anonymous, Anonymous (June 28, 2015). "Robert Leon Goolsbee M.D. 1931-2015 Obituary". Kansas City Star. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  2. Shorman, Jonathan (July 23, 2020). "As COVID-19 rages, Barbara Bollier melds politics and medicine in campaign for Senate". Wichita Eagle. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  3. Shorman, Jonathan (October 16, 2019). "Bollier launches U.S. Senate campaign after 2018 switch from Republican to Democrat". Wichita Eagle. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  4. "Meet Barbara - Bollier for Kansas". bollierforkansas.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  5. "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
  6. "Representatie Barbara Bollier". Kansas Legislature; 2015–2016 Legislative Sessions. Kansas Legislative Information System and Services. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  7. Senter, Jay (August 6, 2014). "Barbara Bollier, Stephanie Clayton easily fend of challenges from conservatives in NEJC House primaries". Prairie Village Post. Archived from the original on August 9, 2014. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  8. Senter, Jay. "Sen. Kay Wolf announces retirement, paving way for Mission Hills Rep. Barbara Bollier to run for District 7 seat". Shawnee Mission Post. Shawnee Mission Post. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  9. "2016 General Election Official results". Kansas Secretary of State. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  10. Jay Senter (July 19, 2018). "Bollier's endorsement of Niermann leads senate president to remove her from committee leadership". Shawnee Mission Post.
  11. Jay Senter (December 12, 2018). "Sen. Barbara Bollier changes party affiliation to Democrat, says Republican party morally not going where my compass resides". Shawnee Mission Post.
  12. Jonathan Shorman (December 19, 2019). "Kansas Sen. Barbara Bollier, at odds with GOP over Trump, LGBT issues, turns Democrat". Kansas City Star. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  13. Jonathan Shorman (December 19, 2018). "More Kansas lawmakers switch parties: Sykes, Clayton leave GOP, become Democrats". Kansas City Star. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
  14. "Ex-Kansas Republican shakes up U.S. Senate race by running as 'pragmatic' Democrat". CBS News. October 16, 2019. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
  15. "Barry Grissom withdraws from US Senate race, endorses Barbara Bollier". KWCH-DT. October 17, 2019. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
  16. Bryan Lowry and Jonathan Shorman (October 21, 2019). "'The big enchilada': Sebelius, backing Bollier, holds power with Kansas Democrats". Wichita Eagle. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  17. [[Geography and money will be key as Marshall and Bollier vie for Senate seat in Kansas, Wichita Eagle, Bryan Lowry and Jonathan Shorman, August 5, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  18. Kansas U.S. Senate democratic candidate discusses competition following primaries, KSNT, Lindley Lund, August 5, 2020. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  19. "Former Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius endorses Barbara Bollier for Senate". KSHB. October 21, 2019. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  20. Bryan Lowry (October 21, 2019). "Former Kansas Gov. Sebelius endorses Bollier in U.S. Senate race". Wichita Eagle. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  21. Singer, Jenny. "Barbara Bollier Is Running for Senate. Her Platform? Congress Is Sick; Send a Doctor". Glamour. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  22. "St. Joseph Family Medical Care - Kansas City Hospital". www.stjosephkc.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  23. "St. Joseph Family Medical Care - Kansas City Hospital". www.stjosephkc.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  24. "Robert Bollier". www.linkedin.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
Kansas House of Representatives
Preceded by
Terrie Huntington		 Member of the Kansas House of Representatives
from the 25th district
2010–2013		 Succeeded by
Melissa Rooker
Preceded by
Kay Wolf		 Member of the Kansas House of Representatives
from the 21st district
2013–2017		 Succeeded by
Jerry Stogsdill
Kansas Senate
Preceded by
Kay Wolf		 Member of the Kansas Senate
from the 7th district
2017–present		 Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by
Chad Taylor
Withdrew		 Democratic nominee for U.S. Senator from Kansas
(Class 2)
2020		 Most recent
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