John A. Sullivan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| 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 | Judy Sullivan |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
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.
Sullivan was born in Tulsa 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 the 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 was reelected in 2004 and 2006, each time by an overwhelming majority voters.
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[edit] Political Views
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 or other permanent barrier along the U.S.-Mexican 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 inflated 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.[9]
[edit] Committee Membership
As of the 110th Congress, John Sullivan is a member of the following committees:
- United States House Committee on Energy and Commerce
- Subcommittee on Environment and Hazardous Materials
- Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet
- Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality
[edit] 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:[10] [11] for assault and battery of an off-duty police officer in 1982[12] 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.
In July 2004, Dave Pearson, a former GOP communications consultant, claimed he was owed $20,000 for work he did on Sullivan's 2002 special election. Pearson put out a press release attacking his former candidate, and sent a letter to all of Sullivan's campaign contributors: "Sullivan is the most dishonest, disingenuous and crooked politician I have ever known. He is a liar because he repeatedly lied to me and others about his business background, his arrest records and many other things." Sullivan responded by saying that Pearson was fired for "not doing his job" and "owes me money probably."[13]
[edit] Electoral history
| 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% |
[edit] References
- ^ "Associated Press election coverage", Tulsa World.
- ^ "Project Vote Smart". Retrieved on 2007-03-09.
- ^ "John Sullian For Congress official website, Second Amendment section". Retrieved on 2007-03-09.
- ^ "John Sullian For Congress official website, War on Terror section". Retrieved on 2007-03-09.
- ^ "American Library Association". Retrieved on 2007-03-09.
- ^ "First Amendment Center". Retrieved on 2007-03-09.
- ^ "American Civil Liberties Union National Scorecard". Retrieved on 2008-01-17.
- ^ "U. S. Congressman John Sullivan official website". Retrieved on 2007-03-09.
- ^ "Associated Press election coverage", Tulsa World.
- ^ "Truth Test: Sullivan's Arrest Record In Ads", KOTV.com, October 21, 2004.
- ^ Myers, Jim. "Sullivan ad claims only one arrest on his record", Tulsa World, October 22. Retrieved on 2006-12-22.
- ^ Myers, Jim. "Details emerge about hopeful's arrest record", Tulsa World, October 24, 2004. Retrieved on 2006-12-22.
- ^ Friedman, Barry. "Handling the Curves?", Urban Tulsa, October 7, 2004.
- ^ Election Statistics. Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives. Retrieved on 2008-01-10.
- ^ Oklahoma 2002 Midterm election. The Green Papers. Retrieved on 2008-01-16.
[edit] External links
- Congressman John Sullivan official U.S. House website
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
- Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
- Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
- Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
- 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
| Political offices | ||
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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 |
Incumbent |
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