Delegate Rip Sullivan – Serving Fairfax County

Delegate Rip Sullivan:

A Champion for Virginia Families

A Life of Service to Fairfax County

Rip and his wife, Beth, have called McLean home for almost 50 years. Before being elected to the House of Delegates in 2014, Rip served Fairfax and the broader northern Virginia region on numerous boards and commissions, providing him with extensive experience in a number of key policy areas that have directly translated to his work for our community in the General Assembly. As a Delegate, Rip has fought to defend reproductive freedom, encourage the growth of Virginia’s clean energy and energy efficiency sectors, promote access to the ballot box, protect and advance LGBTQ rights, address the gun violence epidemic, and expand healthcare access.

Priorities

Rip has fought hard to make Virginia a stronger, cleaner, safer, and equitable Commonwealth for all Virginians. We have made a lot of progress, but there is more work to be done. Rip will continue to champion policies to grow our economy, protect our environment, make our streets safer, and help working families get ahead.

Protecting reproductive freedom

In the wake of the Supreme Court Dobbs decision, overturning Roe v. Wade, Virginia is on the frontlines of the fight to protect reproductive freedom. Rip has been a champion for protecting access to reproductive healthcare and will continue to fight to ensure abortion rights are part of the Virginia Constitution.

Ending the scourge of gun violence

As a parent with children (and now grandchildren) who attended our public schools and a son who attended Virginia Tech, this is an issue particularly important to Rip. Since he got to Richmond, Rip has worked to pass meaningful gun safety reforms. He introduced and passed Virginia’s “Red Flag Law,” which gives law enforcement the tools they need to remove firearms from someone deemed by a judge to be a serious risk to himself or others. Hundreds of Substantial Risk Orders have been issued across the Commonwealth since the law went into effect in July of 2020. It is working, and lives are being saved. Rip continues to fight for legislation and other policies to eliminate gun violence.

Creating a more sustainable Virginia

Rip was proud to patron and lead the fight to pass the historic Virginia Clean Economy Act, which launched Virginia from the back of the pack to the front of the pack and made Virginia the first southern state to chart a course to reduce carbon emissions to zero. Rip has been a leader as Virginia has made dramatic strides in wind, solar, and energy efficiency, transforming Virginia from a laggard to a leader in the effort to address climate change. Rip was also at the epicenter of the successful effort to move Virginia toward electrification of our transportation system, and to get more electric vehicles on Virginia’s roads.

Updates From Rip

Energy storage bills among Youngkin’s vetoes

May 6, 2025

The legislation would have raised the targets for new energy storage in Virginia, which supporters said would send a message that the commonwealth wants such investments. Gov. Glenn Youngkin cited the cost of the technology...

UVA School of Law: New Virginia Legislation Compensates Wrongfully Convicted Innocence Clinic Client

April 2, 2025

Gilbert Merritt III spent two decades in a jail cell for a murder he did not commit. Now, Virginia will provide compensation for the many years he lost and make it easier for him and...

Courthouse News: Virginia Democrats take aim at gun control vetoes during reconvene session

April 2, 2025

RICHMOND, Va. (CN) — Democrats in Virginia’s House of Delegates in a reconvene session Wednesday strategically selected 13 of 157 vetoes by Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin in an attempt to override, despite the near certainty...

In 2021, new districts were drawn across the Commonwealth of Virginia. Delegate Sullivan previously represented the 48th District and now will represent the new 6th District, which includes approximately 63,000 Fairfax families.