Jennifer Mae Sullivan (born August 1, 1991) is a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

politician from

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. She served three terms in the Florida House of Representatives from 2014 to 2020, representing the 31st District, which includes

Apopka Apopka is a city in Orange County, Florida. The city's population was 55,000 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area. ''Apopka'' comes from Seminole word ''Ahapopka'' for "Potato eating ...

, Eustis, Mount Dora,

Tavares Tavares may refer to: Places Brazil *Tavares, Paraíba *Tavares, Rio Grande do Sul *Rodovia Raposo Tavares, the longest highway in São Paulo *Tavares Bastos (favela), a favela in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil *Tavares River Jamaica *Tavares Garden ...

, and Umatilla in northern Lake County and northern

Orange County Orange County most commonly refers to: *Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Orange County may also refer to: U.S. counties *Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando *Orange County, Indiana *Orange County, New ...

Early life and career

Sullivan was born and raised in

Altamonte Springs, Florida Altamonte Springs is a suburban city in central Florida in Seminole County, Florida, United States, which had a population of 46,231 at the 2020 United States Census. The city is in the northern suburbs of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford Metro ...

, where she was home-schooled. Sullivan claimed that she completed half the credits at

Liberty University Liberty University (LU) is a private Baptist university in Lynchburg, Virginia. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia ( Southern Baptist Convention). Founded in 1971 by Jerry Falwell Sr. and Elmer L. Towns, Lib ...

towards a degree. However, the registrar of the university says Sullivan was enrolled for a single semester in 2011. She has held a number of jobs, including working at a blueberry farm, as a waitress, and as a babysitter, and campaigned for Amendment 2, an ultimately successful constitutional amendment to ban

gay marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being Mexico, constituting ...

in 2008, and for her mother, Patricia Sullivan, who unsuccessfully ran for the

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

in the

primary in 2010 in the 8th congressional district.

Florida House of Representatives

In 2014, incumbent State Representative

Bryan Nelson Bryan Nelson (born September 14, 1958) was a Republican member of the Florida House of Representatives, representing the 31st District, which includes the cities of Apopka, Eustis, Mount Dora, Tavares, and Umatilla in northern Lake County an ...

was term limited and Sullivan ran to succeed him. She faced Randy Glisson, Terri Seefeldt, Belita Grassel, and Joseph Stephens in the

primary, which was an open primary because no other candidates had filed. Sullivan campaigned on her conservative Christian credentials, and attracted support from a number of young volunteers from other states who traveled down to Florida to work on her campaign. The ''

Orlando Sentinel The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is the primary newspaper of Orlando, Florida, and the Central Florida region. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company. The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by parent company, '' Tribune P ...

'' endorsed Grassel, criticizing Sullivan in an editorial for being "steeped in tea-party dogmatism that has contributed to polarized governance." Sullivan narrowly won, defeating Glisson by a little more than one thousand votes, winning 35% of the vote to Glisson's 29%, Seefeldt's 19%, Grassel's 14%, and Stephens's 3%, making her the youngest female member of the Florida House in its history. In November 2016, Sullivan was re-elected with 73% of the vote. On March 7, 2018, Sullivan voted yes on SB 7026, establishing waiting periods for firearms purchases and raising the minimum age to purchase a firearm from 18 to 21. Sullivan previously promoted her NRA highest rating. In 2016, the Orlando Sentinel reported that Sullivan distributed campaign literature stating she was a "protector of your 2nd Amendment rights." According to Sullivan's profile, hunting is a hobby. Sullivan decided not to run for reelection in 2020 to focus on family.

References

External links

Florida House of Representatives - Jennifer Sullivan

Jennifer Sullivan for State Representative

Jennifer Sullivan at Ballotpedia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sullivan, Jennifer Republican Party members of the Florida House of Representatives 1991 births Living people People from Lake County, Florida People from Altamonte Springs, Florida Liberty University alumni Women state legislators in Florida 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians

Early life and career

Florida House of Representatives

See also

References

External links