Barbara Bollier facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Barbara Bollier
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Member of the Kansas Senate from the 7th district |
|
| In office January 9, 2017 – January 11, 2021 |
|
| Preceded by | Kay Wolf |
| Succeeded by | Ethan Corson |
| Member of the Kansas House of Representatives | |
| In office January 5, 2010 – January 9, 2017 |
|
| Constituency | 25th district (2010–2013) 21st district (2013–2017) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Barbara Goolsbee
January 13, 1958 Galveston, Texas, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic (2018–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
Republican (before 2018) |
| Spouse | Rene Bollier |
| Children | 2, including Bobby |
| Education | University of Kansas (BGS, MD) |
Barbara Goolsbee Bollier (born January 13, 1958) is an American doctor and politician. She served in the Kansas Senate from 2017 to 2021. She represented the 7th district, which includes Mission Hills, Kansas in Johnson County.
Bollier is a member of the Democratic Party. She joined the Democratic Party in 2018, after being a member of the Republican Party. In 2020, Bollier ran for the United States Senate in Kansas. She was the Democratic candidate but lost the election to Republican Roger Marshall.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Barbara Goolsbee was born in Galveston, Texas, on January 13, 1958. Her father, Robert L. Goolsbee, was a doctor. Her mother, Betty, was a nurse. They met in Kansas City, Missouri.
Barbara grew up in Fairway, Kansas, and Mission Hills, Kansas. She went to the University of Kansas for her first degree. Then, she earned a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree from the University of Kansas School of Medicine. She completed her medical training in anesthesiology at Baylor College of Medicine.
Medical Career
After becoming a doctor, Bollier worked with her father. They practiced medicine together at Surgicenter of Kansas City.
Bollier stopped practicing medicine in 1999. After that, she started volunteering her time. She worked with the Center for Practical Bioethics. This group helps people make choices about medical ethics. She also became active with the Shawnee Mission Education Foundation Board. This foundation supports local schools.
Political Career
Starting in the Kansas House
Bollier's journey in politics began in 2010. She was chosen by Republican leaders to join the Kansas House of Representatives. She took the place of Terrie Huntington.
From 2010 to 2012, Bollier represented the 25th district. She was a Republican at that time. From 2013 to 2017, she represented the 21st House district.
In 2010 and 2012, Bollier did not have any challengers from her own party. In 2014, she ran against Neil Melton. Bollier won that election with 59 percent of the votes.
Serving in the Kansas State Senate
In May 2016, Bollier decided to run for the Kansas Senate. The state Senator for the 7th district, Kay Wolf, was retiring. Bollier won the election for this seat. She defeated Democrat Megan England. Bollier received 22,439 votes, which was 54.3% of the total.
In July 2018, Senator Susan Wagle removed Bollier from a leadership role. Bollier was the Vice Chair of the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee. This happened after Bollier supported a Democratic candidate for Congress. In November 2018, Bollier also supported the Democratic candidate for governor, Laura Kelly.
Changing Political Parties
On December 12, 2018, Bollier changed her political party. She switched from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party. She explained that the Republican Party's direction did not match her beliefs. She wanted to be in a party that supported her ideals. These ideals included expanding healthcare access and properly funding K–12 schools.
Bollier said a "breaking point" was when the Kansas Republican Party included certain language in its platform. This language went against her views on fairness and equality. Bollier was one of three Kansas lawmakers to switch parties in December 2018.
Running for U.S. Senate in 2020
On October 16, 2019, Bollier announced she would run for the United States Senate. The current Senator, Pat Roberts, was retiring. The next day, Barry Grissom, a former U.S. Attorney, left the race and supported Bollier. This made Bollier the main Democratic candidate.
She won the Democratic primary election on August 4, 2020. She received 87.5% of the votes. In the main election, she ran against Republican Roger Marshall. Marshall was a congressman for Kansas.
Former Democratic Governor Kathleen Sebelius supported Bollier's campaign. Sebelius noted Bollier's strong support for school funding and healthcare. Bollier also wanted to reverse some past tax policies in Kansas.
On September 1, 2020, Bollier shared a list of 75 Republican leaders who supported her. Former Republican U.S. Senator Nancy Kassebaum also endorsed her. During her campaign, Bollier wanted to protect and improve the Affordable Care Act. She did not support a "Medicare for All" system. Bollier lost the election to Roger Marshall by about 12 percentage points.
Personal Life
Barbara Bollier met her husband, Rene Bollier, in medical school. Rene is also a doctor, specializing in family medicine. They have two children. Their son, Bobby Bollier, is a professional swimmer. He was a successful college swimmer at Stanford University. He later attended George Washington University Law School.
