OLYMPIA – After serving in the state House for nearly two decades, Rep. Pat Sullivan (D-Covington) has announced he is not running again and will leave the Legislature at the end of his current term. Sullivan has served as House Majority Leader since 2010.
First elected to the state House of Representatives in 2004, Sullivan’s legislative priorities have centered on building a strong economy for Washington by investing in education and workforce training, creating good paying jobs with benefits, and increasing access to affordable health care. He has served on the House Democrats’ budget negotiation team since 2009 and helped craft budgets during some of the state’s most challenging periods, such as the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We made it through some difficult times,” said Sullivan. “But we always manage to come through even stronger as a state. It’s about putting people first.”
Sullivan has championed numerous policies during his time in the Legislature to help students and working families. This year, he successfully pushed to create a state student loan program to provide higher education loans to Washington undergraduate and graduate students at a rate of just one percent – far below the rate of most federal or private loans.
“Students shouldn’t have to be saddled with ridiculously high interest student loans just so they can get a degree that opens doors for good-paying jobs in our state,” Sullivan said earlier this session. “With this program, they have a more affordable option.”
Sullivan hopes the state student loan program will continue to expand after he retires and reach even more students, including more graduate students. He says the state is in great need of more qualified people to fill jobs requiring graduate degrees, including doctors, dentists, behavioral health providers, engineers and more.
Prior to serving in the Legislature, Sullivan served as the first mayor of Covington. He served as a legislative assistant in the House as well as the Senate and also worked for the King County Council.
Sullivan and his wife, Amy, have three grown daughters who all graduated from Kent Public Schools, and two grandchildren.
Pat Sullivan, D-Covington (47th Legislative District), represents part of southeast King County including part of Kent, Covington and Auburn.