Tom Sullivan (Colorado politician)
Leo Thomas Sullivan III (born May 17, 1956) is an American politician who is a member of the Colorado House of Representatives from the 37th district in Arapahoe County.
Tom Sullivan | |
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| Member of the Colorado House of Representatives from the 37th district | |
| Assumed office January 4, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Cole Wist |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 17, 1956 |
| Political party | Democratic |
Personal life
Before entering politics, Sullivan worked at United States Postal Service. He left his job when his son was murdered in 2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting.[1]
Political career
Campaign
After his son's murder, Sullivan entered into politics to fight for tighter gun regulations.[1]
Election
Sullivan contested the election for state Senate in 2016 but did not succeed.[1] However, in 2018, he ran for a seat in the State House and was elected in the general election on November 6, 2018, winning 54 percent of the vote over the 46 percent of the vote won by the incumbent Republican candidate Cole Wist.[2]
Recall effort
In May 2019, a recall effort was launched against Sullivan. The organizers of the recall, lead by Kristi Brown, vice chairwoman of the Colorado Republican Party, were upset with his sponsorship of a successful bill (HB 19-1177) that permits judges to take citizens' guns away from them if the judges receive information that a citizen is dangerous. To make the ballot, the recall has to gather over ten thousand valid voter signatures by July 12, 2019.[3]
References
- "Tom Sullivan's son was killed in the Aurora theater shooting. Now, he will be a Colorado state representative". The Colorado Sun. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
- "Colorado Election Results - Election Results 2018 - The New York Times". nytimes.com. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
- Luning, Ernest (May 13, 2019). "Petitions OK'd to recall Tom Sullivan, Colorado lawmaker who backed 'red flag' gun bill". Colorado Politics. Retrieved May 14, 2019.