Timothy Cullen

Timothy Cullen (born February 25, 1944) is an American politician and former Majority Leader of the Wisconsin Senate. He represented the Janesville-based 15th District between 2011 and 2015, and previously from 1975 through 1987.

Tim Cullen
Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services
In office
January 5, 1987 – August 1988
Appointed byTommy G. Thompson
Preceded byLinda Reivitz
Succeeded byPatricia A. Goodrich
Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader
In office
January 1983 – January 5, 1987
Preceded byWilliam A. Bablitch
Succeeded byJoseph A. Strohl
Member of the Wisconsin Senate
from the 15th district
In office
January 3, 2011 – January 5, 2015
Preceded byJudy Robson
Succeeded byJanis Ringhand
In office
January 6, 1975 – January 5, 1987
Preceded byJames D. Swan
Succeeded byTimothy Weeden
Personal details
Born (1944-02-25) February 25, 1944
Janesville, Wisconsin
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseBarbara Cullen
Children7
ResidenceJanesville, Wisconsin

Early life, education and career

Born in Janesville, Wisconsin, Cullen graduated from Janesville High School and from the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater. He was elected to the Janesville City Council.[1] He is a former member of the Board of Education of the Janesville Public School District.[2]

Wisconsin Senate first term

Cullen was first elected to represent the 15th district in the Wisconsin Senate in 1974, defeating incumbent Republican James D. Swan with 18,931 votes to 14,982 for Swan.[3] He would serve in that position until 1987. He was Majority Leader 1981, 1983 and 1985.[4]

After the Senate

In 1987 he was appointed by Republican Governor Tommy Thompson to head the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services; he was succeeded by Timothy Weeden. In 1988, he resigned from DHFS to become a vice-president for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wisconsin.

Wisconsin Senate second term

On November 2, 2010, Cullen was again elected to represent the 15th district, succeeding Judy Robson.[5][6] In September 2013, Cullen announced he would be retiring from the state senate.[7] One of the factors he cited as a reason for his retirement was the increased partisanship within the legislature.[8]

2011 Wisconsin protests
See also: 2011 Wisconsin protests

During the protests in Wisconsin, Cullen, along with the 13 other Democratic State Senators, fled the state to deny the State Senate a quorum on Governor Scott Walker's controversial "Budget Repair" legislation. Walker earlier referred to Cullen as "the only reasonable one" of the Wisconsin Democrats during the protests.[9]

Governor's race in 2012

Cullen had initially announced that if the recall petition drive against Scott Walker was successful, he would run for the Democratic primary election to oppose Walker. Cullen later withdrew, stating that he was unable to find sufficient funding to compete with other Democrats "who are far better known than I am, have access to financial resources above what I can raise, and have better statewide networks".[10]

Governor's race in 2018

Cullen indicated that he would be ready to announce a campaign to unseat Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker sometime in April 2017.[11] However, on March 29, he announced that he would not run, citing an inability to gain the necessary funds to run an effective campaign.[12] In April 2018, Cullen was elected to serve as the Chair of the State Governing Board of Common Cause in Wisconsin, the state's largest non-partisan political reform advocacy organization. He stepped down as Chair in September 2022 but remains a board member.

References
  1. 'Wisconsin Blue Book-1979-1980,' biography of Timothy Cullen, p. 50
  2. Janesville Board of Education website
  3. Theobald, H. Rupert; Robbins, Patricia V., ed. The State of Wisconsin 1975 Blue Book Madison: Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau, distributed by Document Sales, 1975; p. 824
  4. Timothy Cullen legislative profile Archived 2006-12-09 at the Wayback Machine
  5. Cullen to run for State Senate seat in 2010
  6. Cullen wins 2010 election to Wisconsin's State Senate
  7. Patrick Marley. "Tim Cullen decides to retire from Wisconsin Senate", Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, September 5, 2013. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
  8. Bergquist, Lee. "Election 2014: Allen, Brostoff, Wanggaard, Bowen win legislative primaries" Milwaukee Journal Sentinel August 13, 2014
  9. Huffington Post coverage of 2011 Wisconsin budget protests
  10. VanEgeren, Jessica. "Capitol Report: Sen. Cullen says he won't run for governor", The Capital Times February 1, 2012
  11. The Associated Press. "Cullen Says He's on Track For Announcing Run for Governor" NPR March 9, 2017
  12. DeFour, Matthew (March 29, 2017). "Democrat Tim Cullen won't run for governor in 2018". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
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