Charles Lollar
Charles Lollar | |
|---|---|
| File:Charles lollar 02.jpg | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Charles Joseph Lollar June 22, 1971 Toppenish, Washington, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Alma mater | Emory University Kennesaw State University Regent University |
| Awards | Navy Unit Commendation Combat Action Ribbon Joint Meritorious Unit Award |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service | United States Marine Corps Reserve |
| Years of service | 1997–present |
| Rank |  Major |
| Battles/wars | Kosovo War |
Charles Lollar (born June 22, 1971) is an American businessman and Republican Party politician. A former Marine Corps officer, he was the Republican nominee for Maryland's 5th congressional district in 2010, losing to Democratic incumbent Steny Hoyer. After coming third in the Republican primary for Governor of Maryland in the 2014 election, he ran for the Charles County Board of Commissioners, losing to Democratic Commissioner Ken Robinson.
Early life and career
Lollar served in the Marine Corps from 1997 to 2003. He was deployed to the Balkans from March through October 1999 as part of Operation Joint Endeavor. Leaving active duty in July 2003, he joined the reserves and served as an intelligence officer at Headquarters Marine Corps.[1][2] He was then general manager for facility services corporation Cintas.[2] As of July 2014, he works as a budgeting and political consultant for government contractor Blackson Arrow.[3]
Political career
In his first political campaign, which took place in 2004, Lollar lost a bid for the Gwinnett County, Georgia school board.[4]
Lollar, a Tea Party Republican,[5][6][7][8][9] subsequently moved to Maryland and served as Chair of the Charles County Republican Central Committee. He planned to run for Governor of Maryland in the 2010 election, but was prevented from doing so by the state's requirement that a candidate must have been registered to vote in Maryland for five years.[10] Instead, he sought the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic incumbent Steny Hoyer in Maryland's 5th congressional district.[11] Lollar won the Republican primary in September 2010 with 58% of the vote.[12] In the general election, Hoyer was re-elected with 64.3% of the vote to Lollar's 34.6%.[13]
Lollar subsequently became the director of the Maryland chapter of Americans for Prosperity,[14] the head of the PAC New Day Maryland, spoke at Second Amendment and anti-tax rallies[15] and served as a delegate to the 2012 Republican National Convention.[16]
On September 2, 2013, Lollar announced he was running for the Republican nomination for Governor of Maryland in the 2014 election at an event in Mechanicsville.[1] He raised $65,000 during the whole of 2013 and reported $5,700 cash-on-hand at the end of the year.[17] On February 24, 2014, Lollar announced that his running mate was Kenneth R. Timmerman, an investigative reporter, conservative activist and the Republican nominee for Maryland's 8th congressional district in 2012.[18]
In the primary held on June 24, 2014, Lollar finished third out of the four candidates with 15.5% of the vote, behind Larry Hogan and David R. Craig, who received 43% and 29.1%, respectively, but ahead of Ron George, who received 12.4%.[19]
After his defeat, Lollar announced he would seek the District 1 seat on the Charles County Board of Commissioners, replacing fellow Republican J.T. Crawford on the ballot, who had withdrawn because of work and family commitments. He faced incumbent Democratic Commissioner Ken Robinson in the general election.[3] Lollar, using money left over from his gubernatorial campaign, outspent Robinson[20] and promised to freeze taxes without affecting services, though he offered no specifics as to how he would accomplish this.[21] Lollar was defeated by Robinson by 19,112 votes (42.7%) to 25,467 (57%).[22]
Personal life
Lollar and his wife, Rosha, have four daughters. They live in Newburg.[3]
References
- ^ a b John Wagner (September 3, 2013). "Lollar enters GOP primary for Md. governor with appeal to Democrats, independents". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
- ^ a b Anonymous (2006). "Major Chales Lollar". Combat Veterans for Congress. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
- ^ a b c Newman, Jeff (July 18, 2014). "Lollar readies District 1 challenge in commissioner race". Southern Maryland News. Retrieved August 5, 2014.
- ^ Brody, Alan (July 24, 2009). "Voter rule leaves Lollar on the outside". The Maryland Gazette. Retrieved March 3, 2014.
- ^ Len Lazarick (September 8, 2013). "In Republican race for governor, Lollar shows fire, and Craig needs some spark". MarylandReporter.com. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
- ^ "Businessman Charles Lollar To Run For Governor". CBS Baltimore. August 9, 2013. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
- ^ "Charles Lollar, tea party candidate: Thurs. Jan. 9, 12-1 p.m." wypr.org. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
- ^ Todd Eberly (September 4, 2013). "Does Lollar alter the governor's race in Md.?". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
- ^ Marin Cogan (April 13, 2010). "Tea party touts 'Maryland miracle'". Politico. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
- ^ Brody, Alan (July 24, 2009). "Voter rule leaves Lollar on the outside". The Gazette. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
- ^ Valentine, Daniel (October 9, 2009). "Lollar eyes Hoyer's seat". The Gazette. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
- ^ "MD District 5 – R Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
- ^ "Maryland". The New York Times. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
- ^ "Baltimore Democrat joins tea party caucus". The Baltimore Sun. February 9, 2011. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
- ^ "Lollar not running for governor — yet". MarylandReporter.com. June 24, 2013. Retrieved July 21, 2013.
- ^ Jones, Joyce (August 30, 2012). "Portrait of a Delegate: Charles Lollar". Black Entertainment Television. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
- ^ Brian Griffiths (January 16, 2014). "Lollar campaign finance report raises questions". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
- ^ Wagner, John (February 24, 2014). "Md. GOP gubernatorial hopeful Lollar chooses Kenneth Timmerman as running mate". Washington Post. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
- ^ "Brown, Hogan win Md. gubernatorial primaries; Frosh wins attorney general contest". The Washington Post. June 25, 2014. Retrieved August 5, 2014.
- ^ "Commissioner hopefuls spend campaign cash on last-minute messages". Southern Maryland News. October 31, 2014. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
- ^ "Lollar, Robinson square off in District 1 commissioner debate". Southern Maryland News. October 29, 2014. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
- ^ "Murphy, Robinson, Stewart, Davis, Rucci win in Charles County". Southern Maryland News. November 5, 2014. Retrieved November 6, 2014.