Ray Sullivan

Ray Sullivan was a fictional Republican governor of West Virginia, played by Brett Cullen. He was a recurring character on the American television show "The West Wing". He was the Republican Party's nominee for Vice President of the United States in the 2006 election, and the running mate of Arnold Vinick, a U.S. Senator from California.

Vinick's first choice as running mate was the Reverend Don Butler, a conservative televangelist from Virginia. Vinick defeated Butler in the Republican primaries and, despite Butler's strong criticism of Vinick's pro-choice views on abortion, thought highly of him. Without ever specifically being offered the vice presidential nomination, Butler told Vinick that he could serve neither as his running mate nor as his vice president, given their very different views on the abortion issue.

Vinick then turned to Sullivan, who was highly recommended by his staff and by other Republicans. Sullivan was bright and personable, a former United States Attorney noted for his crime-fighting as a prosecutor, specifically targeting white-collar crime. He had won the Governorship with 55% of the vote in a normally Democratic state, and won re-election with 61% of the vote in 2004. He was pro-life on abortion, but welcomed the chance to run with Vinick. Once nominated at the Republican National Convention, he fulfilled the "attack dog" role often expected of running mates, blasting the administration of Democratic incumbent President Josiah Bartlet.

In the wake of Vinick's narrow defeat in the 2006 election, Governor Sullivan was widely seen as the front-runner for the Republican nomination in 2010. His previously hard-line conservative image seemed to have softened, as he was described as a "Vinick Republican." This may have rooted from his agreement with Vinick to get in line with his moderate views on almost every issue except for abortion.

See also

*"The West Wing"
*List of characters on The West Wing
*List of politicians on The West Wing
*List of The West Wing episodes