Tom Sullivan married his wife, Terry, in 1978. They have had two children together: Megan and Alex. His son, Alex, was killed in the 2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting at the age of 27. After this event, Sullivan became active in advocating for gun safety and gun violence prevention before running for office. Representative Sullivan focuses on the issues of crime victims' rights, worker protections, veterans affairs, and expanding access to mental health treatment.