Cynthia Dunbar

{{For|the American scientist and hematologist|Cynthia E. Dunbar}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Cynthia Dunbar

| residence = Forest, Virginia

| image = Cynthia Dunbar - GOP candidates jockey for delegate ‘free agents’ in Virginia 1-14 screenshot.png

| image_size =

| caption = Dunbar in 2016

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1964|06|27}}

| birth_place = {{nowrap|Osage Beach, Missouri, U.S.}}

| death_date =

| death_place =

| resting_place =

| death_cause =

| title = Republican National Committeewoman from Virginia

| term_start = May 2016

| preceded = Kathy Hayden

| title2 = Member of the Texas Board of Education from the 10th district

| term_start2 = January 2007

| term_end2 = January 2011

| predecessor2 = Cynthia A. Thornton

| successor2 = Marsha Farney

| party = Republican

| boards =

| occupation = Attorney, author

| children =

| relations =

| alma_mater = University of Missouri (BS)
Regent University (JD)

| website =

| footnotes =

| term_end = May 2020

| successor = Patti Lyman

}}

Cynthia Noland Dunbar (born June 27, 1964) is a Republican National Committee member for the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia who entered the 2018 race as a congressional candidate for the 6th Congressional District of Virginia. She was the state-co-chair for Ted Cruz in the 2016 presidential primary race and a Texas Board of Education member.

Life

Dunbar studied at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri.{{cite web|url=https://www.intelius.com/people-search/Cynthia-Dunbar/VA|title=Cynthia Dunbar|publisher=intelius.com|access-date=December 28, 2016}} In 1990, Dunbar graduated from Pat Robertson's Regent University School of Law.{{cite news | url=http://www.cynthiadunbar.com | title=About Me |publisher=cynthiadunbar.com | year=2009 | access-date = 2009-04-24}} During the 2009–2010 academic year, she commuted from her home in Texas to teach in the Liberty University School of Law, established by the late Jerry Falwell.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/14/magazine/14texbooks-t.html|title=How Christian Were the Founders?|access-date=2010-05-26|date=2010-02-11|publisher=The New York Times Company|work=The New York Times Magazine|author=Russell Shorto}}

Dunbar was divorced from attorney spouse, Glen Dunbar, in February 2008,{{Cite web|url=http://tylerpaw.co.fort-bend.tx.us/CaseDocuments.aspx|title=Case No. 07-DCV-158999 IN THE MATTER OF THE MARRIAGE OF CYNTHIA DUNBAR AND GLEN DUNBAR AND IN THE INTEREST OF EMILY E. DUNBAR AND BRENNON E. DUNBAR, CHILDREN|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080217112257/http://tylerpaw.co.fort-bend.tx.us/CaseDocuments.aspx|archive-date=2008-02-17|url-status=dead}} and, in 2014, she married again.{{Cite web|url=https://www.dunbarforcongress.com/news/saul-alinsky-alive-and-well-in-the-6th-congressional-district/|title=SEEK TRUTH: Top 5 Lies Being Spread Against Dunbar|date=9 April 2018|website=Dunbar for Congress|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180506011649/https://www.dunbarforcongress.com/news/saul-alinsky-alive-and-well-in-the-6th-congressional-district/|archive-date=6 May 2018|url-status=dead|access-date=6 May 2018}} She is a former assistant professor of law and advisor to the provost of Liberty University.{{Cite web|url=http://www.cynthianolanddunbar.com/about-1.html|title=About Cynthia Dunbar|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160208224806/http://www.cynthianolanddunbar.com/about-1.html|archive-date=2016-02-08|url-status=dead}}

=Political career=

While residing in Richmond and Sugar Land, in Fort Bend County—suburbs of Houston, Texas— Dunbar, a Republican, lawyer and author, served on the 15-member elected Texas State Board of Education. In 2006, Dunbar won the Republican nomination for the Texas State Board of Education for District 10. She polled 32,589 votes (64.3 percent) to intra-party rival Tony Dale's 18,114 (35.7 percent).{{cite web|url=http://elections.sos.state.tx.us/elchist118_state.htm|title=Republican primary election returns|date=March 7, 2006|publisher=Texas Secretary of State|access-date=December 27, 2016}} Dunbar claimed that voters responded to her call for teaching intelligent design in science classes, rather than only the theory of evolution.{{cite news | url=http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D8G77CLG0.html | archive-url=https://archive.today/20120906084533/http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D8G77CLG0.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=September 6, 2012 |title=Dunbar wins party's nomination |newspaper=Dallas Morning News| date=Mar 8, 2006|access-date = 2009-04-24}} In the general election that year, she defeated Libertarian Martin Thomen, a clerk, with 225,839 votes (70.38%) to 95,034 votes (29.62%).{{cite news | url=http://docs.newsbank.com/g/GooglePM/AASB/lib00060,1154AD7EF087B8A8.html | title=Republicans hang onto down-ballot state positions | newspaper=Austin American-Statesman |date= Nov 8, 2006 | access-date =2008-05-17}} She did not run for reelection in 2010 and her term hence ran from 2007 to January 2011.

In early 2008, Dunbar ran for the Republican nomination for the United States House of Representatives to represent {{ushr|Texas|22|}}, the district formerly held by Tom DeLay. She eventually withdrew and endorsed Shelley Sekula-Gibbs, who briefly held the seat,{{cite news | url=http://www.khou.com/news/local/politics/stories/khou080325_jj_gibbsolsen.26b2853a.html | title=Bitter battle brewing in District 22 race |publisher=KHOU-TV | date=March 25, 2008 | access-date = 2009-04-24}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}} now represented by Pete Olson.

Dunbar was publicly criticized in 2008 for a column she wrote for [http://www.christianworldview.net/ Christian Worldview Network], in which she claimed that then Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama was plotting with terrorists to attack the U.S. within his first 6 months in office.{{Cite web|url=https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Education-official-stands-by-her-Obama-terror-1772463.php|title=Education official stands by her Obama terror claim|agency=Associated Press|date=2008-11-03|website=Houston Chronicle|access-date=2018-12-14}}

In November 2017, Dunbar announced she would run for Congress in Virginia's 6th congressional district in 2018 for the seat being vacated by the retiring incumbent Bob Goodlatte.[http://www.whsv.com/content/news/Cynthia-Dubar-running-for-Goodlattes-seat-in-Congress-456456823.html Cynthia Dunbar running for Goodlatte's seat in Congress] (WHSV) She was endorsed by Congressman Ron Paul.{{Cite web|url=http://www.dailyprogress.com/newsvirginian/news/politics/ron-paul-endorses-dunbar-for-congress/article_0a3ed526-fb13-11e7-870c-0fb123d3b302.html|title=Ron Paul endorses Dunbar for Congress|date=16 January 2018|website=The News Virginian|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117051005/http://www.dailyprogress.com/newsvirginian/news/politics/ron-paul-endorses-dunbar-for-congress/article_0a3ed526-fb13-11e7-870c-0fb123d3b302.html|archive-date=17 January 2018|url-status=live|access-date=17 January 2018}} Ultimately she lost the 2018 GOP primary election to state delegate Ben Cline.{{Cite web|url=https://www.richmond.com/news/virginia/government-politics/state-delegate-ben-cline-wins-gop-nomination-in-bid-to/article_9842b2ed-714f-5c8f-bad2-ab87df5ba0e6.html|title=State delegate Ben Cline wins GOP nomination in bid to succeed Goodlatte in western Va. congressional district|last=Moomaw|first=Graham|date=May 19, 2018|website=Richmond Times-Dispatch|access-date=December 15, 2018}}