Dan Sullivan (U.S. senator)

Sullivan was born and raised in Fairview Park, Ohio, the son of Sandra (née Simmons) and Thomas C. Sullivan. Sullivan's father was the president and CEO of RPM International, a publicly traded multinational corporation with over 15,000 employees that was founded by Sullivan's grandfather, Frank C. Sullivan. Sullivan's brother, Frank C. Sullivan, became the president and CEO of RPM in 2002. Sullivan graduated from the Culver Military Academy in Indiana in 1983. He studied economics at Harvard University, graduating in 1987 with a Bachelor of Arts degree magna cum laude. He went to Georgetown University, where he studied at both the Walsh School of Foreign Service and Georgetown University Law Center, receiving joint Juris Doctor and Master of Science in Foreign Service degrees in 1993. Sullivan was a member of the Georgetown Law Journal and earned a Juris Doctor degree with cum laude honors. ==Early career ==

Military service Sullivan commissioned into the United States Marine Corps as an Infantry Officer in 1993 after completing graduate school. He was on active duty from 1993 to 1997, when he transitioned to the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve as a Recon Marine. He was recalled to active duty three times: from 2004 to 2006, again in early 2009, and for a six-week tour in Afghanistan in July 2013. Sullivan was a colonel in the Marine Corps Reserve. He received the Defense Meritorious Service Medal. Early legal career After leaving active duty in the Marines, Sullivan served as a law clerk to Judge Andrew Kleinfeld of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from 1997 to 1998 and to Chief Justice Warren Matthews of the Alaska Supreme Court from 1998 to 1999. Alaska Attorney General Alaska Attorney General Talis Colberg resigned in February 2009 over the Alaska Public Safety Commissioner dismissal scandal. Governor Sarah Palin nominated Wayne Anthony Ross for attorney general, but the Alaska Legislature rejected Ross. Palin nominated Sullivan. He was sworn into office in June 2009, while the Alaska Legislature was out of session. The Alaska Legislature unanimously confirmed Sullivan's appointment on April 9, 2010. Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources On November 18, 2010, shortly after being elected, Alaska Governor Sean Parnell appointed Sullivan as Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, replacing former Commissioner Thomas E. Irwin. In 2013, during his term in office, Sullivan was deployed to Afghanistan for six weeks, in his role as the executive officer of the 4th Marine Division's Anti-Terrorism Battalion. ==U.S. Senate==

Elections 2014 On October 15, 2013, Sullivan announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democratic incumbent Mark Begich in the 2014 election. He was endorsed by the Club for Growth. Begich had narrowly defeated longtime incumbent Ted Stevens in the previous election. Stevens had filed for the election in 2009 and was widely expected to win, but died in a plane crash on August 9, 2010. This left the race for the Republican nomination wide open. On June 10, 2014, Sullivan offered Begich the Alaska Agreement. Despite former Governor Sarah Palin's late-race endorsement of 2010 party nominee Joe Miller, Sullivan won the August 19 Republican primary with 40% of the vote to Miller's 32% and Treadwell's 25%. On November 12, 2014, the Associated Press declared that Sullivan had defeated Begich in the general election by about 8,000 votes—48.6% to 45.4%. At the time, there were approximately 31,000 votes left to count and Begich refused to concede. Begich eventually conceded on November 17. Final results showed that Sullivan won by 6,014 votes out of 282,400 cast, 47.96% to 45.83%. Gross touted his "deep roots" in the state and published several campaign videos that received national attention. In addition to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee's funding of Gross's candidacy, Gross reportedly did "an excellent job fundraising", outraising Sullivan between July 1 and the end of September 2019. While the race was considered "too early to call" for several days after the November 3 election, Gross called Sullivan to concede on November 13. Ultimately, Sullivan defeated Gross 54% to 41%, with Alaskan Independence Party nominee John Howe receiving nearly 5% of the vote. Tenure Sullivan was sworn into office on January 6, 2015, by Vice President Joe Biden. 119th United States Congress Committee assignments Source: and Senators Joni Ernst, Dan Sullivan, John McCain, Tom Cotton, Lindsey Graham, and Cory Gardner attending the 2016 International Institute for Strategic Studies Asia Security Summit in Singapore • Committee on Armed Services • Subcommittee on Airland • Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support (chairman) • Subcommittee on Seapower • Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation • Committee on Environment and Public Works • Committee on Veterans' Affairs Caucuses • Senate Republican Conference • Senate Taiwan Caucus ==Political positions==

According to FiveThirtyEight, Sullivan voted in line with President Donald Trump's position 91.5% of the time. According to the American Conservative Union's Center for Legislative Accountability, Sullivan had a lifetime conservative rating of 79.5. Americans for Democratic Action gave Sullivan a liberalism score of zero in 2019. Abortion Sullivan is a self-described "pro-life Catholic" and supported the June 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade. He supports improving child care and adoption as alternatives to abortion. Donald Trump Sullivan opposed Donald Trump during the 2016 United States presidential election, releasing a statement that said, "We need national leaders who can lead by example" on issues of sexual assault and violence against women. Sullivan added, "The reprehensible revelations about Donald Trump have shown that he can't. Therefore, I am withdrawing my support for his candidacy." Sullivan voted to acquit Trump in his first impeachment trial. During Sullivan's reelection bid, Trump endorsed him, saying Sullivan supported Trump's agenda. On October 5, 2020, Sullivan announced that he would vote for Trump, saying the choice was "very clear". Sullivan also voted to acquit Trump in his second impeachment trial. In 2025, Sullivan enthusiastically defended the policies of the second Trump administration, including DOGE's attempted spending cuts. Environment Doug Burgum in Anchorage, June 2025 Sullivan rejects that there is a scientific consensus on climate change. Sullivan's amendment was not included in the legislation's final version. Foreign policy in Israel on October 22, 2023 In July 2017, Sullivan co-sponsored the Israel Anti-Boycott Act (s. 720), which would have made it a federal crime for Americans to encourage or participate in boycotts against Israel and Israeli settlements in the occupied territories if protesting actions by the Israeli government. On June 6, 2021, Sullivan and Senators Tammy Duckworth and Christopher Coons visited Taipei in an U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III transport to meet President Tsai Ing-wen and Minister Joseph Wu during the pandemic outbreak of Taiwan to announce President Joe Biden's donation plan of 750,000 COVID-19 vaccines included in the global COVAX program. On March 14, 2025, Sullivan warned British Columbia not to "mess with Alaska", even as state Republicans reaffirmed their friendship with the province. He proposed cutting off the ferry service to Victoria and Nanaimo, noting that this was done during the COVID-19 pandemic. Gun policy event in Alaska. In the 2014 Senate campaign in Alaska, the NRA Political Victory Fund declined to make an endorsement. The NRA gave Begich an "A−" grade and Sullivan an "AQ" rating, the "Q" indicating the rating was qualified because Sullivan had no voting record at the time. Judiciary In 2016, Sullivan defended the Republican refusal to hold a hearing for President Barack Obama's Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland, on the basis that the nomination was made "in the midst of an important national election." Sullivan said it was not "about the individual, it's about the principle" and "Alaskans deserve to have a voice in that direction through their vote, and we will ensure that they have one." Missile defense system In 2017, after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un threatened the United States with an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) strike and conducted an ICBM test in which its missile landed about off the coast of Japan, Sullivan called for improvements to the U.S. missile defense system. Social policy Sullivan has not made social issues a major part of his platform. He opposes abortion, except in cases of rape, incest, or threat to the life of the mother. Trump signed the bill into law 3 days later. Sullivan has cosponsored the bipartisan STATES Act proposed in the 115th U.S. Congress by Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and Colorado Senator Cory Gardner that would exempt individuals or corporations in compliance with state cannabis laws from federal enforcement of the Controlled Substances Act. 2021 National Defense Authorization Act In December 2020, during his lame-duck period, Trump vetoed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021. Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 Sullivan was among the 31 Senate Republicans who voted against final passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023. ==Personal life==

While at Georgetown, Sullivan met fellow law student Julie Fate, a staffer for U.S. Senator Ted Stevens. Sullivan and Fate married and had three daughters. Fate is the daughter of retired dentist and former Alaska State Representative Hugh "Bud" Fate and Mary Jane Fate, who was once the co-chair of the Alaska Federation of Natives. == Electoral history ==