Ray Sullivan is a fictional Republican governor of West Virginia, played by Brett Cullen . He is a recurring character on the American television show The West Wing. He is 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 Gov. Ray Sullivan of West Virginia, who was highly recommended by his staff and by other Republicans. Sullivan is bright and personable, a former United States Attorney noted for his crime-fighting as a prosecutor. He is 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.

See also

• The West Wing
• Characters on The West Wing
• List of The West Wing episodes