Tom Sullivan (Colorado)

Tom Sullivan

Democratic Party

Colorado State Senate District 27

Tenure

2023 - Present

Term ends

2027

Years in position

2

Predecessor

Chris Kolker

Prior offices

Colorado House of Representatives District 37

Successor: Ruby Dickson

Predecessor: Cole Wist

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Compensation

Base salary

43,977/year for legislators whose terms began in 2023. $41,449/year for legislators whose terms began in 2021.

Per diem

For legislators residing within 50 miles of the capitol: $45/day. For legislators living more than 50 miles from the capitol: $237/day.

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 8, 2022

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Air Force

Years of service

1974 - 1977

Contact

Official website

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Personal Facebook

Tom Sullivan (Democratic Party) is a member of the Colorado State Senate, representing District 27. He assumed office on January 9, 2023. His current term ends on January 12, 2027.

Sullivan (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Colorado State Senate to represent District 27. He won in the general election on November 8, 2022.

Biography

Tom Sullivan served in the U.S. Air Force from 1974 to 1977. Sullivan earned a degree in journalism and accounting from the Metropolitan State College of Denver in 1988. His career experience includes working with the United States Postal Service and the American Postal Workers Union. Sullivan served on the executive council of the Colorado American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO).

Committee assignments

Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at:editor@ballotpedia.org.

2023-2024

Sullivan was assigned to the following committees:

• Business, Labor, and Technology Committee
• Senate State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee, Vice Chair

2021-2022

Sullivan was assigned to the following committees:

• House Business Affairs and Labor Committee, Vice chair
• Transportation and Local Government Committee

2019-2020

Sullivan was assigned to the following committees:

• House Business Affairs and Labor Committee
• House Finance Committee

Sponsored legislation

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.

Elections

2022

See also: Colorado State Senate elections, 2022

General election

General election for Colorado State Senate District 27

Tom Sullivan defeated Tom Kim and Matthew Snider in the general election for Colorado State Senate District 27 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tom Sullivan (D)	54.9	39,861
		Tom Kim (R)	45.1	32,757
		Matthew Snider (Colorado Center Party) (Write-in)	0.0	21

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 72,639
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Colorado State Senate District 27

Tom Sullivan advanced from the Democratic primary for Colorado State Senate District 27 on June 28, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tom Sullivan	100.0	13,240

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 13,240
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Colorado State Senate District 27

Tom Kim defeated JulieMarie Shepherd Macklin in the Republican primary for Colorado State Senate District 27 on June 28, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tom Kim	70.2	11,215
	Submit photo	JulieMarie Shepherd Macklin	29.8	4,772

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 15,987
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2020

See also: Colorado House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for Colorado House of Representatives District 37

Incumbent Tom Sullivan defeated Caroline Cornell in the general election for Colorado House of Representatives District 37 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tom Sullivan (D)	55.6	27,829
		Caroline Cornell (R)	44.4	22,242

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 50,071
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 37

Incumbent Tom Sullivan advanced from the Democratic primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 37 on June 30, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tom Sullivan	100.0	14,160

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 14,160
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 37

Caroline Cornell advanced from the Republican primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 37 on June 30, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Caroline Cornell	100.0	7,608

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 7,608
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2018

See also: Colorado House of Representatives elections, 2018

General election

General election for Colorado House of Representatives District 37

Tom Sullivan defeated incumbent Cole Wist in the general election for Colorado House of Representatives District 37 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tom Sullivan (D)	54.0	21,686
		Cole Wist (R)	46.0	18,451

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 40,137 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 37

Tom Sullivan advanced from the Democratic primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 37 on June 26, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tom Sullivan	100.0	7,624

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 7,624
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 37

Incumbent Cole Wist advanced from the Republican primary for Colorado House of Representatives District 37 on June 26, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Cole Wist	100.0	6,729

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 6,729
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Endorsements

Sullivan was endorsed by the Aurora Sentinel.

2016

See also: Colorado State Senate elections, 2016

Elections for the Colorado State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on June 28, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was April 4, 2016.

Incumbent Jack Tate defeated Tom Sullivan in the Colorado State Senate District 27 general election.

Colorado State Senate, District 27 General Election, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Jack Tate Incumbent	53.44%	44,169
	Democratic	Tom Sullivan	46.56%	38,489
Total Votes				82,658
Source: Colorado Secretary of State

Tom Sullivan ran unopposed in the Colorado State Senate District 27 Democratic primary.

Colorado State Senate, District 27 Democratic Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate
	Democratic	Tom Sullivan  (unopposed)

Incumbent Jack Tate ran unopposed in the Colorado State Senate District 27 Republican primary.

Colorado State Senate, District 27 Republican Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate
	Republican	Jack Tate Incumbent (unopposed)

Endorsements

2016 presidential endorsement

✓ Sullivan endorsed Hillary Clinton for the Democratic primary in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

See also: Endorsements for Hillary Clinton

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Tom Sullivan did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Tom Sullivan did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

2016

Sullivan, whose son was killed by James Holmes in a mass shooting at an Aurora movie theater in 2012, launched his campaign on February 23, 2016. During the announcement, Sullivan named gun control, paid family leave and economic inequality as campaign themes. He also criticized incumbent Jack Tate (R) for voting for a 2015 bill that would declared the killing of a fetus as a homicide, which Democrats struck down due to concerns over abortion rights.

In addition, Sullivan's campaign website highlighted the following issues:

“

Economy/Jobs/Paid Leave We need to promote economic development that brings good-paying jobs for working Coloradans. The minimum wage should be a living wage and earned paid sick and family leave should be a part of all employee packages. Education We need to do everything we can to support our teachers so that every child can get a quality education. We need to get more resources into our public school classrooms, and take measures to make college more affordable. Energy We need to work on moving to more clean energy sources, like wind and solar energy, while preserving jobs for Coloradans in the energy industry. Infrastructure/Transportation We need to repair and update our infrastructure, particularly unsafe roads and bridges, while also easing flow of traffic through our busiest areas, like the Arapahoe Road and I-25 interchange. Marijuana Tom believes that people should have a choice to use marijuana if they wish, but that we also need to carefully monitor and maintain strong regulations of that use.

”

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Tom Sullivan campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2022	Colorado State Senate District 27	Won general	$269,991	$264,245
2020	Colorado House of Representatives District 37	Won general	$170,156	N/A**
2018	Colorado House of Representatives District 37	Won general	$146,202	N/A**
Grand total			$586,348	$264,245
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Colorado

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Colorado scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.

2024

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2024, click [show].

In 2024, the Colorado State Legislature was in session from January 10 to May 8. Centennial Institute Legislators are scored on their votes on issues relevant to the mission of the Centennial Institute and the strategic priorities of Colorado Christian University. Colorado AFL-CIO Legislators are scored on their votes on bills that the organizations supports or opposes. Colorado Consumer Health Initiative Legislators are scored on their votes on bills that the organizations supports or opposes. Colorado Union of Taxpayers Legislation is scored on its "reduction of taxes, regulation, and spending accountability." Colorado Voters for Animals Legislators are scored on their stances on animal issues. Conservation Colorado Legislators are scored on their votes on bills about Colorado's climate, land, water, and communities. Healthier Colorado Legislators are scored on their votes related to public health issues. Liberty Scorecard Legislators are scored on votes related to "the principles of individual rights, free markets and limited government." Mental Health Colorado Legislators are scored on their votes related to mental health issues. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.

2023

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show].

In 2023, the Colorado State Legislature was in session from January 9 to May 8. Colorado AFL-CIO Legislators are scored on their votes on bills that the organizations supports or opposes. Colorado Consumer Health Initiative Legislators are scored on their votes on bills that the organizations supports or opposes. Colorado Union of Taxpayers Legislation is scored on its "reduction of taxes, regulation, and spending accountability." Colorado Voters for Animals Legislators are scored on their stances on animal issues. Healthier Colorado Legislators are scored on their votes related to public health issues. Liberty Scorecard Legislators are scored on votes related to "the principles of individual rights, free markets and limited government." Mental Health Colorado Legislators are scored on their votes related to mental health issues. The Arc of Colorado Legislators are scored on votes related to intellectual and developmental disability legislation. Women's Lobby of Colorado Legislators are scored on their stances on women's issues.

2022

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show].

In 2022, the Colorado State Legislature was in session from January 12 to May 11. Centennial Institute Legislators are scored on their votes on issues relevant to the mission of the Centennial Institute and the strategic priorities of Colorado Christian University. Cobalt Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to reproductive health issues. Colorado AFL-CIO Legislators are scored on their votes on bills that the organizations supports or opposes. Colorado Consumer Health Initiative Legislators are scored on their votes on bills that the organizations supports or opposes. Colorado Union of Taxpayers Legislation is scored on its "reduction of taxes, regulation, and spending accountability." Conservation Colorado Legislators are scored on their votes on bills about Colorado's climate, land, water, and communities. Colorado Voters for Animals Legislators are scored on their stances on animal issues. CoPIRG Legislators are scored on their votes on "bills that will protect consumers, strengthen our democracy, and safeguard public health." Healthier Colorado Legislators are scored on their votes related to public health issues. Liberty Scorecard Legislators are scored on votes related to "the principles of individual rights, free markets and limited government." Mental Health Colorado Legislators are scored on their votes related to mental health issues. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. One Colorado Legislators are scored based on their votes on LGBTQ+ issues. The Arc of Colorado Legislators are scored on votes related to intellectual and developmental disability legislation.

2021

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show].

In 2021, the Colorado State Legislature was in session from January 13 to June 8. Centennial Institute Legislators are scored on their votes on issues relevant to the mission of the Centennial Institute and the strategic priorities of Colorado Christian University. Colorado Health Initiative Legislators are usually scored on their votes on bills that the organizations supports or opposes. Colorado Union of Taxpayers Legislation is scored on its "reduction of taxes, regulation, and spending accountability." Conservation Colorado Legislators are scored on their votes on bills about Colorado's climate, land, water, and communities. Colorado Voters for Animals: U.S. Congress and General Assembly Legislators are scored on their stances on animal issues. CoPIRG Legislators are scored on their votes on "bills that will protect consumers, strengthen our democracy, and safeguard public health." Colorado Education Association: Senate and House Legislators are scored on their votes related to education reflection and on how well legislators worked with educators to advance the CEA's priorities. Healthier Colorado Legislators are scored on their votes related to public health issues. Liberty Scorecard Legislators are scored on votes related to "the principles of individual rights, free markets and limited government." Mental Health Colorado Legislators are scored on their votes related to mental health issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues. The Arc of Colorado Legislators are scored on votes related to intellectual and developmental disability legislation. Women's Lobby of Colorado Legislators are scored on their stances on women's issues.

2020

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show].

In 2020, the Colorado State Legislature was in session from January 8 to June 15. Colorado Health Initiative Legislators are usually scored on their votes on bills that the organizations supports or opposes. However, in 2020 the organization released this more detailed overview of the legislative session. Colorado Union of Taxpayers Legislation is scored on its "reduction of taxes, regulation, and spending accountability." Colorado Voters for Animals: U.S. Congress and General Assembly Legislators are scored on their stances on animal issues. Healthier Colorado Legislators are scored on their votes related to public health issues. Mental Health Colorado Legislators are scored on their votes related to mental health issues. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues. Women's Lobby of Colorado Legislators are scored on their stances on women's issues.

2019

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show].

In 2019, the Colorado State Legislature was in session from January 4 through May 3. ACLU of Colorado Legislators are scored on their votes on bills the ACLU of Colorado "felt were the best representations of the civil liberties issues facing Colorado today." Colorado Health Initiative Legislators are scored on their votes on bills that are supported or opposed by the organization. Colorado Union of Taxpayers Legislation is scored on its "reduction of taxes, regulation, and spending accountability." Colorado Voters for Animals Legislators are scored on their stances on animal issues. Conservation Colorado Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental conservation. Mental Health Colorado Legislators are scored on their votes related to mental health issues. One Colorado Legislators are scored based on their votes on LGBT issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues. Women's Lobby of Colorado Legislators are scored on their stances on women's issues.

2018

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show].

In 2018, the 72nd Colorado State Legislature was in session from January 10 through May 9. ACLU of Colorado Legislators are scored on their votes on bills the ACLU of Colorado "felt were the best representations of the civil liberties issues facing Colorado today." Colorado Health Initiative Legislators are scored on their votes on bills that are supported or opposed by the organization. Colorado Senior Lobby, Inc. Legislators are scored on their votes related to senior issues. Colorado Union of Taxpayers Legislation is scored on its "reduction of taxes, regulation, and spending accountability." Colorado Voters for Animals Legislators are scored on their stances on animal issues. Conservation Colorado: House and Senate Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental conservation. Mental Health Colorado Legislators are scored on their votes related to mental health issues. NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to reproductive health issues. One Colorado Legislators are scored based on their votes on LGBT issues. Principles of Liberty Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to "core principles of liberty," which the organization defines as "Free People," "Free Markets," and "Good Government." The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

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Candidate

Colorado State Senate District 27

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Officeholder

Colorado State Senate District 27

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Chris Kolker (D)	Colorado State Senate District 27 2023-Present	Succeeded by -
Preceded by Cole Wist (R)	Colorado House of Representatives District 37 2019-2023	Succeeded by Ruby Dickson (D)

[show]

Current members of the Colorado State Senate

Leadership

Senate President:James Coleman

Majority Leader:Robert Rodriguez

Minority Leader:Paul Lundeen

Senators

District 1

Byron Pelton (R)

District 2

Lisa Frizell (R)

District 3

Nick Hinrichsen (D)

District 4

Mark Baisley (R)

District 5

Marc Catlin (R)

District 6

Cleave Simpson (R)

District 7

Janice Rich (R)

District 8

Dylan Roberts (D)

District 9

Paul Lundeen (R)

District 10

Larry Liston (R)

District 11

Thomas Exum (D)

District 12

Marc Snyder (D)

District 13

Scott Bright (R)

District 14

Cathy Kipp (D)

District 15

Janice Marchman (D)

District 16

Chris Kolker (D)

District 17

Vacant

District 18

Judy Amabile (D)

District 19

Lindsey Daugherty (D)

District 20

Lisa Cutter (D)

District 21

Dafna Jenet (D)

District 22

Jessie Danielson (D)

District 23

Barbara Kirkmeyer (R)

District 24

Kyle Mullica (D)

District 25

Faith Winter (D)

District 26

Jeff Bridges (D)

District 27

Tom Sullivan (D)

District 28

Mike Weissman (D)

District 29

Iman Jodeh (D)

District 30

John Carson (R)

District 31

Matt Ball (D)

District 32

Robert Rodriguez (D)

District 33

James Coleman (D)

District 34

Julie Gonzales (D)

District 35

Rod Pelton (R)

Democratic Party (22)

Republican Party (12)

Vacancies (1)