Senator Tom Sullivan Contact information

Tom Sullivan, full name Leo Thomas Sullivan III, was born on May 17, 1956. He is an American politician and a Democratic member of the Colorado Senate. He represents District 27, which includes all or parts of Aurora, Centennial, Dove Valley, Inverness, and Foxfield in Arapahoe and Douglas counties.

Before his tenure in the state senate, Sullivan served in the Colorado House of Representatives, representing the 37th district in Arapahoe County. In the state house, Representative Sullivan sat on the Transportation and Local Government Committee and was the Vice Chair of the Business Affairs and Labor Committee. He was elected as the first Democrat to represent House District 37 in 2018 after having run an unsuccessful bid for Senate District 26 in 2016.

Sullivan is known for his advocacy and legislation surrounding gun control, which began following the death of his son in the 2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting. Tom Sullivan married his wife, Terry, in 1978. They have had two children together: Megan and Alex. His son, Alex, was killed in the 2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting at the age of 27. After this event, Sullivan became active in advocating for gun safety and gun violence prevention before running for office.

Prior to becoming a legislator, Sullivan served in the US Air Force from 1974 to 1977. With help from the GI Bill, he attended Metropolitan State University of Denver and studied accounting and journalism. Sullivan then began his 30-year career with the United States Postal Service (USPS). He has been a member of several labor unions throughout his life, starting as a Teamster when he was 16-years-old, working concessions at Red Wing Stadium. While working for USPS, Sullivan was a member of the American Postal Workers Union (APWU).

After his son’s murder, Sullivan entered into politics to campaign for stricter gun regulations. In 2016, Sullivan ran against Jack Tate for State Senate District 26 and was defeated. Sullivan went on to run for Tate’s old seat in House District 37 in 2018, and won against the incumbent, Cole Wist, with 54% of the vote. Sullivan is the first Democrat to represent House District 37. In his re-election campaign in 2020, Sullivan beat Caroline Cornell with 55.6% of the vote. In the 2022 general election, Sullivan won the race for Senate District 27, defeating Republican nominee Tom Kim with roughly 55.5% of the vote.