The 2022 Connecticut Secretary of the State election took place on November 8, 2022, to elect the next Secretary of the State of Connecticut. Incumbent Democrat Denise Merrill planned to retire at the end of her elected term,[1] but resigned on June 30 to care for her ailing husband.[2] Governor Lamont appointed former associate attorney general Mark Kohler to the position. Kohler was sworn in on July 11. He was not a candidate for the office in the November election.[3]
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Thomas: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%
80–90% Rapini: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Democratic primary
editCandidates
editNominee
edit- Stephanie Thomas, state representative from the 143rd district (2021–2023)[4]
Eliminated in primary
editWithdrawn
edit- Darryl Brackeen Jr., New Haven alderman[7][8] (running for state house)[9]
- Josh Elliott, state representative from the 88th district (2017–present)[10] (running for re-election)[11]
- Matt Lesser, state senator from the 9th district (2019–present)[12][13][14]
- Hilda Santiago, state representative from the 84th district (2013–present)[15][16]
Declined
edit- Mark Kohler, incumbent secretary of the state
Controversy
editDuring Matt Lesser's election bid for Secretary of the State in 2022, he faced backlash for attempting to change the order of balloting at the Democratic State Convention in the final hours.
Lesser pushed to have his race listed at the top rather than the end, a strategic move driven by the belief that his chances of endorsement might diminish if several white male candidates were considered before him.
Notably, two leading contenders for the endorsement were women of color, and the eventual nominee was Stephanie Thomas, the current Secretary of State.[17]
Endorsements
editMaritza Bond
- Local officials
- Justin Elicker, mayor of New Haven[18]
- Matthew Hoey, Guilford first selectman[18]
- Labor unions
Matt Lesser (withdrawn)
Stephanie Thomas
- Statewide officials
- Denise Merrill, former Secretary of the State of Connecticut (2011–2022)[21]
- State legislators
- Jorge Cabrera, state senator[22]
- Josh Elliott, state representative[22]
- Local officials
- Organizations
Declined to endorse
- Statewide officials
- Ned Lamont, governor of Connecticut[24]
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Stephanie Thomas | 84,392 | 75.81% | |
| Democratic | Maritza Bond | 26,929 | 24.19% | |
| Total votes | 111,321 | 100.0% | ||
Republican primary
editCandidates
editNominee
editEliminated in primary
edit- Terrie Wood, state representative from the 141st district (2009–present)[27]
Withdrawn
edit- Brock Weber, executive aide to New Britain mayor Erin Stewart[28][29]
Endorsements
editDominic Rapini
- Organizations
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Dominic Rapini | 51,080 | 58.23% | |
| Republican | Terrie Wood | 36,634 | 41.77% | |
| Total votes | 87,714 | 100.0 | ||
Independent Party of Connecticut primary
editCandidates
editNominee
edit- Cynthia Jennings, environmental attorney[32]
Libertarian primary
editNominee
edit- Stephen Dincher, chairman of the Libertarian Party of Connecticut[33]
Green primary
editNominee
edit- Douglas Lary[33]
General election
editDebate
edit| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Democratic | Republican | Libertarian | Green | Independent Party of Connecticut |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Not invited I Invited W Withdrawn |
|||||||||
| Stephanie Thomas | Dominic Rapini | Stephen Dincher | Douglas Lary | Cynthia Jennings | |||||
| 1 | Oct. 25, 2022 | Connecticut Public Broadcasting |
Walter Smith Randolph |
YouTube | P | P | N | N | N |
Predictions
edit| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[34] | Safe D | December 1, 2021 |
| Elections Daily[35] | Safe D | November 7, 2022 |
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Stephanie Thomas | 665,631 | 53.44% | −0.37% | |
| Working Families | Stephanie Thomas | 22,083 | 1.77% | −0.30% | |
| Total | Stephanie Thomas | 687,714 | 55.22% | -0.67% | |
| Republican | Dominic Rapini | 532,218 | 42.73% | +0.27% | |
| Independent Party | Cynthia Jennings | 25,488 | 2.05% | N/A | |
| Total votes | 1,245,420 | 100.0% | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
By congressional district
editThomas won all 5 congressional districts.[37]
| District | Thomas | Rapini | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 60% | 37% | John B. Larson |
| 2nd | 53% | 45% | Joe Courtney |
| 3rd | 56% | 42% | Rosa DeLauro |
| 4th | 58% | 40% | Jim Himes |
| 5th | 50% | 48% | Jahana Hayes |
References
edit- ^ Pazniokas, Mark (June 23, 2021). "Denise Merrill not running for another term as CT Secretary of the State". www.ctmirror.org. The Connecticut Mirror. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
- ^ Pazniokas, Mark (June 28, 2022). "Denise Merrill resigns as CT Secretary of the State to care for her husband". Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- ^ McQuaid, Hugh (June 30, 2022). "Lamont Appoints Mark Kohler, a Recently Retired Associate AG, as Secretary of State". Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- ^ Pazniokas, Mark (December 1, 2021). "Rep. Stephanie Thomas opens campaign for Secretary of the State". www.ctmirror.org. The Connecticut Mirror. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
- ^ Zaretsky, Mark (September 20, 2021). "Notable New Haven names exploring secretary of the state run". www.nhregister.com. New Haven Register. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
- ^ "New Haven Health Director Maritza Bond to Run for Secretary of the State". www.nbcconnecticut.com. WVIT. March 27, 2022. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
- ^ Elizabeth, Anna (September 20, 2021). "New Haven Alder Darryl Brackeen Makes His Case for Secretary of the State". Retrieved January 8, 2022.
- ^ Brass, Paul (April 19, 2022). "Brackeen Drops Secretary Of The State Bid". www.newhavenindependent.org. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
- ^ "Brackeen Challenges State Rep. Dillon". Patch. May 25, 2022. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
- ^ Elizabeth, Anna (September 16, 2021). "Democrat Josh Elliot Makes a Case for Secretary of the State". Retrieved January 8, 2022.
- ^ Grace-Flood, Nora (May 25, 2022). "Dems Back Elliott; Watkins Readies Challenge". www.newhavenindependent.org. New Haven Independent. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- ^ Elizabeth, Anna (October 12, 2021). "Matt Lesser Makes His Case for Secretary of the State". Retrieved January 8, 2022.
- ^ a b Pazniokas, Matt (April 28, 2022). "Democratic Sen. Matt Lesser enters crowded race for secretary of the state". ctmirror.org. The Connecticut Mirror. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
- ^ Putterman, Alex (May 10, 2022). "Matt Lesser drops out of CT secretary of the state race after missing Democratic endorsement". CT Insider. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
- ^ Bass, Paul (December 16, 2021). "Santiago Makes Sec'y State Run Official". www.newhavenindependent.org. New Haven Independent. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
- ^ McQuaid, Hugh (May 20, 2022). "Democratic Field For Secretary of The State Shrinks". CT News Junkie. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
- ^ Portfolio, Meghan (January 22, 2024). "Black Leaders Call for Sen. Lesser's Removal from Black and Puerto Rican Caucus". Yankee Institute. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
- ^ a b Zaretsky, Mark (May 5, 2022). "Elicker endorses New Haven Health Director Maritza Bond for Secretary of the State". New Haven Register. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- ^ "Connecticut AFL-CIO Endorses Maritza Bond for Secretary of the State". Patch. June 27, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- ^ "Connecticut Working Families Party announces candidate endorsements for Treasurer, Comptroller, and Secretary of the State". May 5, 2022. Retrieved July 4, 2022.
- ^ Kirby, Rick (June 24, 2022). "Thomas Wins Merrill Endorsement, Surpasses Campaign Finance Goal". Patch. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- ^ a b c Roy, Yash (July 14, 2022). "Top Hamden Pols Endorse Stephanie Thomas For Secretary Of The State". New Haven Independent. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
- ^ Brown, Andrew (May 7, 2022). "CT Democrats weigh race, gender diversity in treasurer, SOTS picks". The Connecticut Mirror. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- ^ "Lamont remains neutral in contests for treasurer, secretary of the state". May 10, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- ^ "2022 Aug 9 - Democratic Primary: Secretary of State". Connecticut Secretary of State.
- ^ Elizabeth, Anna (September 13, 2021). "Dominic Rapini Takes up Voter Trust as an Issue in his Bid for Secretary of the State". Retrieved January 8, 2022.
- ^ Dixon, Ken (February 16, 2022). "Longtime Connecticut lawmaker Terrie Wood seeks GOP bid for secretary of state". www.ctinsider.com. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
- ^ Jensen, Steve (February 24, 2022). "Weber Promises to Actively Investigate Voter Fraud if Elected Secretary of the State". Retrieved February 24, 2022.
- ^ Pazniokas, Mark (August 5, 2022). "In CT secretary of the state primaries, Democrats and GOP split paths". The Connecticut Mirror. Archived from the original on August 6, 2022. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
- ^ Hewitt, Cate; Muce, Sophia (May 7, 2022). "Rapini Wins Republican Contest for Secretary of the State; Mary Fay Runs for Comptroller". Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- ^ "2022 Aug 9 - Republican Primary: Secretary of State". Connecticut Secretary of State.
- ^ Bass, Paul (February 1, 2022). "Independent Seeks Top Elections Post". www.newhavenindependent.org. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
- ^ a b "Candidate Registration List for Election Year 2022". Connecticut State Elections Enforcement Commission. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- ^ "Secretary of State Races: More Important Than Ever in 2022, and More Complicated, Too". Sabato's Crystal Ball. December 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
- ^ Solomon, Zack (November 7, 2022). "Elections Daily Secretary of State Ratings". Elections Daily. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
- ^ "2022 General Election - Secretary of State". Connecticut Secretary of State.
- ^ "State of Connecticut Elections Database » 2022 Nov 8 :: General Election :: Secretary of the State :: State of Connecticut".
External links
edit- Official campaign websites