John Sullivan (Oklahoma politician)

For other people named John Sullivan, see John Sullivan (disambiguation).

John Sullivan
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Oklahoma's 1st district
Incumbent
Assumed office February 15, 2002
Preceded by	Steve Largent
Personal details
Political party	Republican
Spouse	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.

Biography

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.

Political views

According to the American Conservative Union, Sullivan is among the most conservative members of Congress, 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. He is opposed to gun control and has been commended by the National Rifle Association for his position.

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."

Sullivan voted to make the PATRIOT Act permanent, without any future option for Congressional review or revocation. He supports a constitutional amendment to ban flag burning 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. He also supports continued U.S. military involvement in Iraq and opposed any "rapid troop pullout".

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.

Position on 2008 "Bailout"

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.

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.

Committee assignments

As of the 111th Congress, John Sullivan is a member of the following committees:

• Committee on Energy and Commerce
  • Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection
  • Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
• Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming

Controversy

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: for assault and battery of an off-duty police officer in 1982 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.

Electoral history

Oklahoma's 1st congressional district: Results 2000–2006

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%

*The first 2002 election was the special election on January 8 to fill the remainder of Steve Largent's term upon his retirement. Write-in and minor candidate notes: David Fares received 388 votes in the 2002 special election.

External links

• Congressman John Sullivan official U.S. House website

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Profile at Vote Smart
• Profile at SourceWatch Congresspedia
• Remarks by the Vice President at a Reception for Congressman John Sullivan, Adam's Mark Hotel, Tulsa, Oklahoma, December 5, 2003