Dr. Barbara Bollier, a state Senator and retired physician, is attempting to do the unthinkable: win a U.S. Senate seat as a democrat from Kansas for the first time since 1932.
She has an open path to the nomination; Republicans are engaged in a nasty primary campaign with a number of candidates that won’t be settled until August 4. The GOP is nervous that Kris Kobach, who managed to lose the Kansas governorship in 2018 by five points after running a terrible race, will win the primary and jeopardize the seat.
Dr. Bollier grew up in Kansas and graduated from Kansas University and went on to earn a medical degree from the University of Kansas School of Medicine. In 2010, she won a seat in the Kansas House of Representatives and in 2016 she was elected to the State Senate, both times as a Republican. She switched parties in 2018 as part of the reaction to devastating Republican economic policies in the state.
Polls show a close race, particularly if Kobach is nominated, and the Cook Political Report labels the race lean Republican. Dr. Bollier has been endorsed by major Democratic organizations such as the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and Emily’s List.
She is deeply committed to the philosophy that the United States should lead multilateral efforts to make our world more peaceful.
