| John Sullivan | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office February 15, 2002 |
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| Preceded by | Steve Largent |
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| Born | January 1, 1965 Tulsa, Oklahoma |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Judy Sullivan |
| Residence | Tulsa |
| Alma mater | Northeastern State University |
| Occupation | real estate broker |
John A. Sullivan (born January 1, 1965) is an American politician. He has represented Oklahoma's first congressional district (map) in the United States House of Representatives, based in Tulsa, since 2002.
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Sullivan was born in Oklahoma City and graduated from Bishop Kelley High School. He subsequently entered Northeastern State University, where he received a B.B.A. in marketing in 1992. Sullivan is Catholic. He and his wife, Judy Beck, have four children. His oldest, Tommy, plays football for his old high school. In his career, Sullivan was a former realtor who sold 6 houses before entering politics on a platform of tax cuts and less government spending. (see Tulsa World)
Sullivan was a Republican member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 1995 to 2002. In 2002, when seven-year incumbent Steve Largent resigned from Congress to focus on his campaign for governor, Sullivan entered the Republican primary for his seat. Incumbent governor Frank Keating's wife, Cathy, was widely expected to win the Republican primary, which was thought to be tantamount to election in this heavily Republican district. Hiring an out of town manager for the Keating campaign set the stage for a few fumbles, which allowed Sullivan to score a surprise upset in the February special election. Later, he won the seat in his own right in the regular election in November and has been reelected three times with no substantive opposition.
According to the American Conservative Union, Sullivan is among the most conservative members of Congress,[1] expressing views on most issues that place him on the right wing of the Republican Party. He is opposed to all legalized abortion, believes that life begins at conception, and opposes stem cell research on embryonic cells. He has been rated 100% by the Christian Coalition for his views.[2] He is opposed to gun control and has been commended by the National Rifle Association for his position.[3]
Regarding immigration, he is on record as supporting a fence between the US and Mexico or other permanent barrier along the U.S.-Mexico border. Prior to the 2006 Congressional election his campaign staff distributed small placards that explicitly linked immigration from Mexico with threats to U.S. national security. The same campaign literature featured the figure of "20 million illegal aliens in America" and warned that "thousands more [are] coming everyday". During that same campaign Sullivan repeatedly characterized the issue of (illegal) immigration from Mexico as one relating to "national security" and the "war on terror", stating, "Border security is national security...Our way of life in America is precious and must always be protected."[4]
Sullivan voted to make the PATRIOT Act permanent, without any future option for Congressional review or revocation.[5] He supports a constitutional amendment to ban flag burning[6] and wishes to strip the independent judiciary of the ability to decide any question pertaining to the interpretation of the Pledge of Allegiance. He has been rated as 0% by the ACLU on civil rights issues.[7] He also supports continued U.S. military involvement in Iraq and opposed any "rapid troop pullout".[8]
During his first term in Congress, Sullivan voted for President George W. Bush's proposals 100% of the time. Subsequently, he has voted independently of the president only 5% of the time, primarily on immigration issues, where Sullivan is considerably more conservative than the president.[1]
On October 3, 2008, Sullivan was one of two Oklahoma Republican Congressman to vote for the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 which created the Troubled Assets Relief Program.[9]
Despite his support of the bill, he also was a proponent of the 2009 Tea Party protests which condemned any bailouts, and even spoke at a rally in Tulsa.[10]
As of the 111th Congress, John Sullivan is a member of the following committees:
A point of contention during Sullivan's re-election campaign in 2004 was his police record. According to opponent Doug Dodd, Sullivan had been arrested four times in the Tulsa area. Sullivan claimed to have only been arrested once. A review by local media concluded he had at least three arrests:[11][12] for assault and battery of an off-duty police officer in 1982[13] and for public intoxication and disturbing the peace in 1985, while still under-age. His last arrest, at age 27, was due to an outstanding bench warrant issued after he failed to appear in court for a traffic violation.
On May 28, 2009, Rep. Sullivan entered the Betty Ford Center in California to receive treatment for his addiction to alcohol.[14]
| Year | Democrat | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Dan Lowe | 58,493 | 29% | Steve Largent * | 138,528 | 69% | Michael A. Clem | Libertarian | 2,984 | 1% | ||||
| 2002 | Doug Dodd | 50,850 | 44% | John Sullivan | 61,694 | 54% | Neil Mavis | Independent | 1,758 | 2% | * | |||
| 2002 | Doug Dodd | 90,649 | 42% | John Sullivan | 119,566 | 56% | Joe Cristiano | Independent | 4,740 | 2% | ||||
| 2004 | Doug Dodd | 116,731 | 38% | John Sullivan | 187,145 | 60% | John Krymski | Independent | 7,058 | 2% | ||||
| 2006 | Alan Gentges | 56,724 | 31% | John Sullivan | 116,920 | 64% | Bill Wortman | Independent | 10,085 | 5% | ||||
| 2008 | Georgianna Oliver | 98,863 | 34% | John Sullivan | 193,361 | 66% |
| United States House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by Steve Largent |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Oklahoma's 1st congressional district February 15, 2002 – present |
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