Bo Sullivan

In 1980, Sullivan began to plan a campaign for governor of New Jersey. In order to increase his national exposure, Sullivan threw a large party at the 1980 Republican National Convention. A newcomer at the time, he joked that he once had been elected, but it was to be captain of the football team at Newark Academy.[4] Campaigning in 1981, Sullivan eschewed public financing and spent more than $2 million of his own money to win the Republican nomination for governor,[5] but was unsuccessful. He finished third in an eight-candidate field, behind former Assembly Speaker Thomas Kean and former Paterson Mayor Pat Kramer.[6] His campaign was managed by Karl Ottesen, who had run the stealth U.S. Senate race of Al D'Amato in New York the previous year.[5] In trying to portray Kean as out of touch with common folk, Sullivan ran a TV ad that said "This isn't the kind of guy who would buy you a beer in Bayonne."[7] Toward the end of the campaign, he received support from key Right to Life groups.[5]

The election results were:[8]

Sullivan won kudos from GOP leaders when he showed up at Kean's victory celebration to offer his support. Later, he joined Kean for a beer at a Bayonne bar. After Kean won, he named Sullivan as chairman of the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.[1]

He served as New Jersey Co-Chairman of George H. W. Bush's 1988 presidential campaign,[1] and was a part of the Bush transition team recruiting candidates from New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware for federal posts.[9] He was often mentioned as possible United States Ambassador to Ireland under Bush. He was viewed as a likely candidate for governor in 1989, but declined to run.[10]