Richard Cyril "Rip" Sullivan, Jr. (born March 14, 1959) is an American activist serving as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from the 48th district, which encompasses parts of Arlington and

Fairfax Fairfax may refer to: Places United States * Fairfax, California * Fairfax Avenue, a major thoroughfare in Los Angeles, California * Fairfax District, Los Angeles, California, centered on Fairfax Avenue * Fairfax, Georgia * Fairfax, Indiana * Fa ...

counties. Sullivan is a member of the Democratic Party.

Background

Sullivan and his future wife Beth graduated from Langley High School in 1977. After graduating

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some So ...

from

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zephaniah Swift Moore, Amherst is the third oldest institution of higher educatio ...

in 1981, he earned a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

degree from the

University of Virginia School of Law The University of Virginia School of Law (Virginia Law or UVA Law) is the law school of the University of Virginia, a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson as part of his "academical v ...

in 1987. Sullivan has practiced law in Northern Virginia for nearly 30 years, most notably with law firm Reed Smith LLP. Following his election, Sullivan left Reed Smith and joined the Arlington-based firm of Bean Kinney & Korman. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Sullivan helped create the United States Institute of Peace. Sullivan currently serves on the Chairman's Advisory Board of the Institute. He has served on numerous local, regional, and statewide boards and commissions. Sullivan is the former president of Northern Virginia Legal Services, an organization that provides free counsel to low-income residents. In 2020, Sullivan introduced and helped pass the

Virginia Clean Economy Act Virginia, in some ways, is a microcosm for the climate and clean energy challenges faced by the broader US. Parts of the state are threatened by sea level rise and environmental justice concerns, yet it also has strong ties to the fossil fuel indu ...

, which was signed into law on April 11, 2020.

Political career

2007 campaign

The 34th district race was one of the most expensive local campaigns in Virginia in 2007 because of Vince Callahan's political influence in Richmond. The race was targeted as a prime pickup opportunity by the Virginia Democratic Party. Democrat

Margaret Vanderhye Margaret G. "Margi" Vanderhye (born July 29, 1948 in Chicago) is a McLean, Virginia community activist and a former delegate from the 34th district of Virginia. She was the Democratic nominee in the 2007 Virginia general election to fill the se ...

, a community activist from McLean, Virginia, announced her candidacy along with Sullivan in the Democratic primary. In the primary election on June 12, 2007, Vanderhye defeated Sullivan by 149 votes, according to the State Board of Elections. Vanderhye went on to win the general election, but was defeated in 2009 by Republican

Barbara Comstock Barbara Jean Comstock (née Burns; born June 30, 1959) is an American attorney and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Virginia's 10th congressional district from 2015 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, she was a member o ...

2014 campaign

On June 29, 2014, Rip announced his candidacy for a special election for

Virginia's 48th House of Delegates district Virginia's 48th House of Delegates district elects one of 100 seats in the lower house of the state's bicameral legislature, the Virginia General Assembly, General Assembly. District 48 represents parts of Arlington County, Virginia, Arlington and ...

to fill the seat of longtime Delegate Robert Brink, who resigned to take a job in the McAuliffe administration. On July 6, Sullivan won a

firehouse primary {{Short description, Election run by a political party to select a candidate or nominee for a later general election A firehouse primary, also called a firehouse caucus or "unassembled caucus", is a term sometimes used in the United States to descr ...

over six other candidates to become the Democratic nominee for the seat. On August 19, Sullivan won in a landslide victory over opponent Dave Foster, winning by more than 24 points and winning every single precinct in the 48th District.

Electoral history

References

External links

Official Campaign Website2007 Campaign Finance Data''Raising Kaine'' Interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sullivan, Richard People from McLean, Virginia Amherst College alumni University of Virginia School of Law alumni Virginia lawyers Living people 1959 births 21st-century American politicians Democratic Party members of the Virginia House of Delegates