Sullivan named Indiana Secretary of State by Holcomb

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb has appointed Holli Sullivan as Secretary of State. Sullivan will complete retired Secretary of State Connie Lawson’s term.

To assume her new role as Secretary of State, Sullivan resigned as Indiana House District 78 representative on Tuesday. The Indiana Republican Party will release details for the District 78 caucus to fill the vacancy in the coming days.

Sullivan has served portions of Vanderburgh and Warrick counties as a state representative since 2014.  Sullivan serves as Budget Subcommittee Chair on the House Ways and Means Committee, where she oversees the creation of the state’s biennial budget. She also serves as vice chair of the House Rules and Legislative Procedures Committee, is a member of the House Elections and Apportionment Committee and a member of POWER, the House’s bipartisan women’s caucus. She also serves as the current vice chair of the Indiana Republican Party.

During Sullivan’s tenure in the Indiana General Assembly, she worked with the Secretary of State’s office to pass legislation funding critical local cybersecurity improvements in time for the 2020 elections. She’s also worked with the office’s auto dealer services division to modernize Indiana Code through legislation.

Sullivan began her career in management at General Motors, where she oversaw more than 100 employees in the auto giant’s paint division. Then holding a similar role for Toyota’s Indiana manufacturing operation, she supervised production quality and staffing across the company’s Hoosier plants. From there, Sullivan launched her own consulting firm, Onward Consulting, and began working with the University of Southern Indiana at the school’s Center for Applied Research.

Sullivan earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Missouri and has continued her education in business management at Lindenwood University.

Indiana Republican Party Chairman Kyle Hupfer issued the following statement:

“Holli Sullivan is a slam-dunk appointment to serve as Secretary of State and Governor Holcomb couldn’t have named a better successor to Secretary Connie Lawson’s legendary career of public service. Under Secretary Lawson, Indiana has an impeccable record of administering safe and secure elections, a record I’m confident Secretary Sullivan will continue. I’m excited to keep working with her, supporting her efforts through 2022 and beyond.”

Indiana Democrats released the following statement from John Zody, Chairman:

“If Holli Sullivan’s record is an indication of how she’ll treat the right to vote as Secretary of State, Indiana voters will have an opponent instead of a needed ally in the office. Under GOP control in Indiana, there have been repeated restrictions to deny Hoosiers access to the vote by restricting absentee-by-mail during a global pandemic, refusing to expand voting hours and even denying the validity of the 2020 election. Holli Sullivan has been a part of this as a legislator and an officer in the Republican Party, and this party has shown absolutely no vision for Indiana and its families. The right to vote must be expanded for every eligible voter in this state to have a voice, and that will only happen with the right person in the Secretary of State’s office. Indiana Democrats are looking forward to this discussion in the 2022 election.”

For more on this story, see Wednesday’s Republic