Susan Bysiewicz
From Ballotpedia
| Susan Bysiewicz | |
 | |
| Connecticut Secretary of State | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 1998 | |
| Current term ends 2010 | |
| Political party | Democrat |
| Website | Official Connecticut Secretary of State website |
Contents |
Education
- Bachelor's degree, Yale University (1983)
- Juris Doctorate degree, Duke University School of Law (1986)
Professional experience
In the midst of her pursuit for a law degree, Bysiewicz wrote Ella: A Biography of Governor Ella Grasso, a pioneer in women's roles in politics and the first woman elected governor of Connecticut, in 1984. Following law school, she practiced law in New York as an attorney at Robinson & Cole from 1988 to 1992 and then in Hartford at Aetna Insurance Company until 1994.
Political career
Prior to being elected Secretary of State, Bysiewicz was voted state representative for the 100th Assembly District of Connecticut for three successive terms starting in 1992, representing up to 22,000 constituents.
In 1998, she sought the Democratic nomination for Secretary of State. Even though at the state Democratic Convention she lost the party's endorsement to Representative Ellen Scalettar, she garnered enough delegates to qualify to run for the nomination in the primary. Bysiewicz went on to win both the nomination and the office itself in the November general election. She won re-election in 2002 and 2006.
2010 attorney general candidacy
Bysiewicz announced in January 2009 that she would be a candidate for the Democratic Party nomination the Connecticut gubernatorial race. A Quinnipiac University poll taken in February 2009 showed that of four potential Democratic Party candidates for the nomination, Bysiewicz led the pack with 44% favoring her candidacy. [2] Eight months later, however, the Connecticut Secretary of State's own exploratory committee released the results of a survey that seemed to demonstrate eroding support for her campaign. While she still led her main rival for the Democratic nomination, Stamford Mayor Dan Malloy, in a head-to-head matchup by a significant margin, the percentage of those who had chosen her over other candidates in the Democratic primary had fallen to 31%. [3]
In a somewhat surprising move, nearly a year after she announced her candidacy for the gubernatorial seat in the state of Connecticut, Bysiewicz declared she would be switching her bid for governor to that of state attorney general. Bysiewicz's change in course came on the heels of the two major announcements made that same month that "Sen. Christopher Dodd would not seek re-election and Attorney General Richard Blumenthal would run for Dodd’s seat." There is speculation that financial concerns were the main reason for the switch, noting that "by going for the attorney general job, Bysiewicz could be avoiding a funding arms race with wealthy gubernatorial candidates like Ned Lamont and Tom Foley." [4]
Other roles
- Member, Connecticut Public Affairs Network (1998-present)
- Member, National Association of Secretaries of State (1998-present)
- Honorary Chair, Polish American Advisory Council (1998-present)
- Member, Women's Campaign School at Yale University (1998-present)
- Honorary Chair, Student Parent Mock Election (2002)
Controversies
Dead registered voters
- See also: Dead people voting
University of Connecticut journalism professor Marcel Dufresne led an eleven student class investigation into dead voters in the state of Connecticut. His group discovered that 8,558 deceased individuals who were still registered on Connecticut voter rolls. Even more troubling was the revelation that more than three hundred of them appeared somehow to have cast ballots after they died.
While votes were cast and counter in the names of the dead, Susan Bysiewicz insisted that "there was no voter fraud at all in the state of Connecticut."[5] She went on to say, "While we want to remove dead people from the rolls, we don’t want to be overzealous and disenfranchise people."[6]
Qualifications
Almost immediately after Bysiewicz announced she would be campaigning to be the state's attorney general, questions concerning her legal qualifications to hold the position were raised by state political commentators. Critics specifically cite Title III, Chapter 35, Section 3-124 of the General Statutes of Connecticut, which states, "The Attorney General shall be an attorney of law of at least ten years’ active practice at the bar of this state," [7] as to her disqualification from running for the statewide office. Although she received a law degree and became an attorney in the state of Connecticut in 1986, she only actively practiced for six years before becoming a state legislator and then secretary of state.
At the same time, however, others have argued that the state constitution, which takes precedence over the general statutes, cites the minimum age of eighteen as the only requirement in order to be considered for any state office. [8]
Upon seeking a legal opinion from the current State Attorney General to clear up the matter, [9] Blumenthal responded that, although he believed the law to be valid, this was something that could only be rectified by either the courts or legislature. [10]
Campaign contributions
| 2006 Race for Secretary of State - Campaign Contributions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Raised | $815,144 | |||
| Total Raised by Primary Opponent | N/A | |||
| Total Raised by Gen. Election Opponent | $48,682 | |||
| Top 5 Contributors | Leibert, Richard M. $1,500 (0.18% of Total) | |||
| Plumbers & Steamfitters Local 777 $1,500 (0.18%) | ||||
| Van Munching Jr., Leo $1,500 (0.18%) | ||||
| Levine, Tammy $1,500 (0.18%) | ||||
| Breitenbach, Paul T. $1,500 (0.18%) | ||||
| Other Notable Contributors | Connecticut Health Care District 1199/SEIU $1,500 (0.18%) | |||
| Individuals v. Institutions | $742,505 (91.1%) | |||
| $57,040 (7.0%) | ||||
| In v. Outside State | $767,326 (95.0%) | |||
| $40,225 (5.0%) | ||||
Electoral history
1998
| 1998 Race for Secretary of State - General Election [11] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Percentage | |||
 Susan Bysiewicz (D)
| 59.1% | |||
| Ben Andrews (R) | 39.8% | |||
| Kenneth F. Mosher (Libertarian) | 1.1% | |||
| Total votes | 899,624 | |||
2002
| 2002 Race for Secretary of State - General Election [12] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Percentage | |||
| Susan Bysiewicz (D)
| 64.2% | |||
| Ronald S. San Angelo (R) | 34.3% | |||
| Darlene H. Nicholas (Libertarian) | 1.5% | |||
| Total votes | 952,164 | |||
2006
| 2006 Race for Secretary of State - General Election [13] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Percentage | |||
| Susan Bysiewicz (D)
| 69.8% | |||
| Richard J. Abbate (R) | 26.4% | |||
| S. Michael DeRosa (Green) | 1.8% | |||
| Kenneth F. Mosher (Libertarian) | 1.2% | |||
| Jean Marie Burness (Concerned Citizens) | 0.8% | |||
| Total votes | 1,044,871 | |||
Family life
Susan Bysiewicz currently resides in Middletown, Connecticut with her husband, David Donaldson, and their three children - Ava, Leyna, and Tristan. She is a practicing Roman Catholic.
Contact Information
Secretary of State
ATTN: Capitol Office
Post Office Box 150470
Hartford, CT 06115-0470
Phone: 860-509-6200
Fax: 860-509-6209
E-mail: susan.bysiewicz@po.state.ct.us
External links
- Official Connecticut Secretary of State website
- Susan Bysiewicz's Facebook profile
- Susan Bysiewicz for Connecticut 2010 Campaign website
- Project Vote Smart - Susan Bysiewicz biography
References
- ↑ The Middletown Press "Bysiewicz announces intention to run for governor" 27 Jan. 2009
- ↑ Quinnipiac University Polling Institute "Connecticut's Rell Is Queen Of The Hill At Midterm, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Dodd Has Worst Approval Ever" 10 Feb. 2009
- ↑ Connecticut News "Susan Bysiewicz Still Way Ahead In Democratic Run For Governor" 27 Oct. 2009
- ↑ The Middletown Press "Bysiewicz to seek AG spot" 13 Jan. 2010
- ↑ Fox News Dead voters still showing up on election records, puzzling officials" 4 June, 2008
- ↑ Scatterin' O' the Thoughts "More ACORN arrests" 8 Oct. 2008
- ↑ General Statutes of Connecticut - Chapter 35, sec. 3-124
- ↑ Connecticut State Library - Constitution of the State of Connecticut
- ↑ Middletown Press "Bysiewicz seeks legal opinion on ‘active practice’" 21 Jan. 2010
- ↑ WTIC "AG Says Bysiewicz's Qualifications Still Unclear" 2 Feb. 2010
- ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State - Vote for Secretary of State 1998
- ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State - Vote for Secretary of State 2002
- ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State - Vote for Secretary of State 2006
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Miles S. Rapoport | Connecticut Secretary of State 1999–present | Succeeded by NA |
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