Logjam of candidates for state vacancy
Rivals line up to fill Denise Merrill’s secretary of the state job
Democrats could see a logjam among lawmakers and other party activists hoping to fill the vacancy left by the announced departure of Secretary of the State Denise Merrill after a dozen years in office. Name of possible candidates started floating around political circles from the moment Merrill broke the news this past week.
But party leaders might have to rein in the ambitions of some hopefuls as
Democrats forge a 2022 ticket of constitutional officers who reflect the demographics of the state. Gov. Ned Lamont and Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz are widely expected to seek reelection, as is Attorney General William Tong and State Treasurer Shawn Wooden. Comptroller Kevin Lembo is a wild card
With that mostly male team, another woman might be needed on the ballot for the sake of poltical optics. And there has been a tradition of women serving as Secretary of the State dating back to the late 1940s. In fact, only four men have served as the state’s top election official since the end of World War II, with Miles Rapoport of West Hartford the last male, holding the office from 1995 until 1999.
Democrat Ella T. Grasso was secretary for a dozen years from 1959 until 1971, on her way to becoming the first female elected governor in her own right in the nation, in 1974. Bysiewicz, a former member of the House of Representatives from Middletown, also served 12 years as secretary of the state, from 1999 until 2011, when Merrill, a former House majority leader, took office.
Among the possible Democratic candidates whose names are making the rounds are state Sen. Matt Lesser, D- Middletown; state Sen. Mae Flexer, D- Windham; Rep. Chris Rosario, D- Bridgeport; Eva Bermúdez Zimmerman, a union organizer and former candidate for lieutenant governor; and state Rep. Cristin McCarthy Vahey of Fairfield.
On the Republican side, Brock L. Weber of New Britain, a political operative who is an executive aide to Mayor Erin Stewart there, filed his intentions to run for the office on April 30, according to filings with the State Elections Enforcement Commission. The last Republican to serve as secretary of the state was Pauline Kezer of Plainville, serving from 1991 to 1995. Prior to Kezer was a string of Democrats going back to 1959.
Others in both parties are certain to emerge as the chattering among party insiders gains speed. In addition to the geender question, some Latinx political leaders say Hispanic representation remains disproportionately low at the top levels of Connecticut politics.
The secretary of the state job pays $ 110,000 a year plus fringe benefits, to be the state’s top election official and registrar of state businesses. The job holds a higher profile these days than in the past, as access to the polls and election security have become national controversies with Republicanled states reacting to Donald Trump’s loss of the presidency by cutting back on voting opportunities.
“Denise Merrill has been a huge presence in Connecticut public service, and we will miss her voice and her drive in the Secretary of the State’s office,” said Nancy DiNardo, chairwoman of the Democratic State Central Committee. “Connecticut Democrats have a deep bench of qualified candidates ready to champion voter rights, and Denise’s gracious announcement this week will give anyone interested in seeking the office the time to explore a run. I’m confident that Connecticut voters will be able to choose among some great candidates.”
While those Democrats interested in becoming the next secretary of the state have until next May, when the party’s statewide convention selects candidates and allows others to force primaries, the political realities are that those interested in replacing Merrill have to act relatively fast, forming exploratory or candidate committees, raising money and gaining some statewide recognition.
Ben Proto of Stratford, the new GOP state chairman, said Friday that he expects other potential candidates to emerge quickly as the summer moves along.
“Secretary of the State is interesting because it has always been one of those races nobody ever paid attention to, but that all changed last year,” Proto said. “The role the office plays in managing elections and managing the electorate and how we maintain elections and voter lists is much more on the front burner than ever before. The race may be somewhat more prominent than in past cycles.”
Lesser explored the possibility of running for secretary of the state in 2018, when he was a member of the House of Representatives. He formed a committee but ended the bid after Merrill declared she was seeking re- election. Lesser decided instead to run for the Senate.
“Obviously, I considered it four years ago,” said Lesser, co- chairman of the legislative Insurance and Real Estate Committee, in a Friday phone interview, when asked whether he was interested. “I’ve gotten a lot of calls from friends and colleagues over the last few days, people I respect. It would be crazy not to consider it. But we’re just off the legislative session, so I have not made any decisions. Sure, I find it interesting, along with a lot of people.”
Flexer, as co- chairwoman of the legislative Government Administration & Elections Committee, led the effort to overhaul election laws in recent years, including the proposed amendment on early voting o the state Constitution through a statewide ballot question in 2022.
A companion constitutional amendment, which would ask voters to decide on no- excuse mail- in ballot, was opposed by Republican lawmakers this year. It did not receive enough support to make the 2022 ballot, so the earliest it could come before voters would be 2024, if the next elected General Assembly approves the measure.
Flexer, who served in the House from 2009 to 2014 and is now in her fourth two- year term in the Senate, declined comment Friday on the possibility of seeking the vacancy.
Rosario, a member of the Government Administration & Elections Committee who is also a deputy speaker of the House, said Friday he is definitely interested and is being encouraged by people throughout the state.
“I think Denise has had a long, great career serving the state, and not only as secretary of the state, but in the House, too. “I’m definitely interested in seeking it. I think I’d make a great candidate. It doesn’t hurt to kick the tires.”
McCarthy Vahey, another member of the Government Administration & Elections Committee, is also co- chairwoman of the legislative Planning and Development Committee.
“Since Denise’s announcement, folks have been reaching out to me suggesting secretary of the state as a way to continue my service for our state and I am definitely taking a look at that,” McCarthy Vahey said in a Saturday interview.
Bermúdez Zimmerman did not have an immediate comment.
Merrill said during her announcement that there will be a whole new era of voting technology facing the next secretary of the state. She noted that certain Republican- controlled states are restricting voting opportunities at a time when they should be supporting their expansion.
“We have to maintain the trust of the public in our elections,” Merrill told reporters about a potential successor. “A lot of people are interested in this. Obviously, there is a lot of concern about minority rights across the country, so maybe it will be somebody from a minority community. That would be wonderful. I, of course, would love to see another woman in my place. But I think it’s a wide- open race at this point.”