Sen. David Rollins (R-NE)

[Anthony]

*Points Summary at the bottom of bio*

 

Name: David A. Rollins

Date of Birth: November 7, 1954 (age 61, as of Jan. 2016)

Place of Birth: Bozeman, Montana

Place of Residence: Valentine, Nebraska + Washington, D.C.

Party: Republican Party

Caucus: Republican Study Committee

Religion: Roman Catholic

 

Avatar: Mike Pence

 

Family History:

• Parents:
  • Jim & Theresa Rollins (father deceased; single mother, healthcare worker)
• Siblings:
  • Noah Rollins (b. April 7, 1956. Successful personal entrepreneur, m. 1980 to Madison Rollins. 2 children.)
• Spouse:
  • Jenny Rollins (b. July 25, 1955, a pediatric hospital nurse. m. July 1977; nee. Gardner)
• Children:
  • Jack Rollins (b. January 12, 1978. Lawyer/businessman & rancher, worked at Harvest Holdings, became Chairman & CEO once father entered politics. Married with four children.)
  • Amanda Rollins (b. August 1, 1979. Middle school teacher. Married with two children.)
  • Randall Rollins (b. June 10, 1981. United States Marine, served in both Iraq and Afghanistan until withdrawal in 2011, reached the rank of Lt. Colonel. After stationed stateside for several years, he was redeployed to Iraq when President Obama sent troops back in in 2014 and currently serves in Iraq. Married with one child.)

Educational History:

• Broadwater High School (Class of 1972)
• Montana State University (Class of 1977)
  • Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Business (Agribusiness Management Concentration)
  • Bachelor of Science in Economics
• Stanford University School of Business (Class of 1979)
  • Master of Business Administration

 

Employment History:

• Farmer/Rancher (1979 - Present)
• Founder & President, CEO of Harvest Holdings Inc. (1982 - 2002)
• Governor, State of Nebraska (2003 - 2011)
• United States Senator, Nebraska (2015 - Present)

 

U.S. Senate Committee Assignments:

• Class A Committees
  • Member, Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry
    • Chairman, Subcommittee of Rural Development and Energy
  • Member, Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs
    • Chairman, Subcommittee of Economic Policy
• Class B Committees
  • Member, Select Committee on Intelligence

 

Key Votes:

• 114th Congress
  • Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015 - Aye

 

 

Life Story:

David Anthony Rollins, born November 7, 1954 to Jim and Theresa Rollins in Bozeman, Montana. Jim was a longtime hardworking family rancher, while his mother Theresa worked in the healthcare industry. His younger brother, Noah, was born two years after he was. The family lived in Townsend, Montana.

 

Beginning in grade school, David began working with his father on the ranch in the mornings before school, and that continued through high school graduation. During high school, David played baseball and basketball. An average academic student, David graduated from Broadwater High School in Townsend, Montana in 1972 and planned on attending Montana State that fall. However, in the early hours of a warm summer morning at the family ranch in 1972, David's dad, Jim, was killed in an equipment mishap.

 

David put his plans of attending college in the fall on hold to work and run the family's property for the next year. In the late summer of '73, David enrolled at Montana State for the upcoming fall semester. After many long days and sleepless nights, while both studying and continuing to work his family's land, David finally graduated from MSU in the spring of 1977, with two degrees.

 

Shortly after graduation, David married his childhood sweetheart, Jenny Gardner, in July of 1977. The two had been neighbors since childhood, grew up friends and began dating in high school. Their love continued to grow while they both attended college together.

 

David was intent on furthering his education, and to his own surprise, was accepted into the Stanford School of Business on scholarship. Entrusting the family property to several ranch hands and his childhood best friend, David and Jenny packed their personal belongings into the back of an old Ford pickup and drove to California. While David earned his MBA, Jenny spent two years at Stanford's school of Medicine, finishing up her own degree. Without any concrete plans for the future, David and Jenny finished their schooling in the spring of 1979, and following the two years in California, they moved back to Montana.

 

One year later, Jenny was offered a good-paying job in rural Nebraska to head-up the pediatric department of a local hospital. After several weeks of agonizing discussions amongst family and friends, Jenny decided to accept the job. David ultimately supported her decision, and the two would once again move, this time to Valentine, Nebraska in 1980. They used their savings to put the down payment on a beautiful ranch home just southwest of the city limits.

 

While Jenny worked at the local hospital, David did what he knew best - ranch work - and spent two years working the property he and Jenny had bought, until the fall of 1982. Now a father of three, with a few stable hands working on his property with him, David decided he wanted to set a good example, and future, for his children. He settled on using his experience and education to start a business, naming it Harvest Holdings, Inc.

 

Harvest Holdings began as a simple idea - to become a one-stop shop for every farmer and rancher alike - for all the essentials. From equipment to feed, livestock to business advise, and even investment opportunities. Again - with many long days and sleepless nights - over the next 20 years David grew the business into one that now reports nearly $789 million in revenue per fiscal year. Harvest Holdings includes its three subsidiaries (GoldenHay, its manufacturing, products, produce and livestock branch; Farmvisor, its advising services to both families and businesses on agricultural topics and finance; and Agrivestment, its financial investment branch) and does business in 49 U.S. states (excl. Hawaii) and exports its equipment and services to foreign countries such as Canada, and European nations like France and Italy.

 

In the years leading up to the 2002 election cycle, the Rollins family became more visible within state and national conservative policy and donor circles - even going so far as to form a think tank called Rural Values that also has a Political Action Committee - both formed in late 1998.

 

When it was announced Mike Johanns would not seek re-election in 2002 (privately courting the Secretary of Agriculture position in the Bush Administration), David's name was immediately thrown around as a potential candidate. While not taking it seriously at first, David nonetheless did his due diligence and met with state and local leaders to see if it was worth doing. After several months touring the state, David Rollins announced his candidacy for Governor of Nebraska in late 2001. It took a late push from his wife, Jenny, to get him in the race, appealing to his sentimental side, advocating he help make the state and nation a better place for their children and grandchildren.

 

David was up to the challenge, and the state GOP coalesced around his campaign from the start. He cruised through the republican primary, and was elected Governor of Nebraska with just shy of 60% in November, 2002. He ran for re-election in 2006 and won with nearly 70%. He was known as a good fundraiser and his campaigns were known for being good with retail politics. Furthermore, David was seen as down-to-earth due to his upbringing, despite his wealth. Throughout his two terms as Governor, Rollins focused on revitalizing Nebraska's economy for the 21st century. While in office, he was always one to focus on policy over politics, not afraid to buck his own party when there were policy disagreements.

 

Following two successful terms as Nebraska Governor, David Rollins returned to private life. He resumed working on his land and helping the company he built, now under the leadership of his son.

 

However, in late 2013, when incumbent republican Senator and former Governor Mike Johanns decided not to run for re-election, he called his friend David to encourage him to run. David was a popular two-term Governor, still well-known to the Nebraska and national electorate after leaving office in January 2011. In January 2014, David Rollins put the rumors to rest, and formally announced his candidacy for the United States Senate, vowing to change Washington to more represent the values of everyday Americans.

 

The primary was hotly contested from the start - David was up against a trio of well-funded and well-run campaigns in bank President Sid Dinsdale, former state Treasurer Shane Osborn and Midland University President Ben Sasse. Two strong debate performances and a well ran campaign of his own gave David the slight edge heading into election day that May. Despite the conglomerate of candidates polling neck-and-neck at the top of the race, David indeed won the primary, with a higher than expected 39.8% of the vote - compared to 28.4% for Osborne, 20% for Dinsdale, 10.7% for Sasse, and 1.1% for the lower-level candidates. The GOP again coalesced around David for the general election, even after the hard-fought primary. David used a solid overall campaign, three strong debate performances, and favorable national GOP conditions to fuel his campaign to victory, capturing 68.7% of the vote.

 

David Collins began his first term as a United States Senator from the state of Nebraska in January 2015. David is known as a "pragmatic, common sense conservative," primarily focused on economic and agriculture policy while always rooted with rural Americans and working-class voters. He isn't afraid to buck his party's trend when it differs from his principles, while once again putting policy before politics.

 

Point Totals:

Starting Bank = 100

Male: 0 points

61 years old: 0

Straight, married, 3 children: 0

White/Caucasian: 0

Roman Catholic: 0

College Degree at Public University: 0

Master's Degree: 10

Upper Class: -5

Blue collar worker: 10

Entrepeneur/Business Founder: 30

Governor (2 terms): 24

• To become well-known in your field, double your points = 48

Subcommittee Chair/RM: 3 (x2 for chair on two) = 6

Total Points Utilized (remaining) - 99 (1)

[Jack]

Approved