Candidates for Secretary of State, 2010

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2010 State Executive Elections
Secretary of State 2010 elections
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2010 Election information
Primary election dates Statewide elections, 2010 November 2nd General Election results National Association of Secretaries of State Secretary of State Project
State Executive Official news headlines

As of August 25, 2010, there were 81 candidates running for secretary of state across 26 states. The general election was held on November 2, 2010.

Here is a breakdown of the 81 candidates by party line:

• 27 Democrats
• 31 Republicans
• 23 independents

^Ψ = Incumbent
= Endorsed by Secretary of State Project

Democratic candidates

• Full time Assistant Professor of Law at Wayne State University Law School Jocelyn Benson
• Kansas Secretary of State Chris Biggs ^Ψ
• California Secretary of State Debra Bowen ^Ψ
• Colorado Secretary of State Bernie Buescher ^Ψ
• Former Vermont State Senator Jim Condos
• Arizona State Representative Christopher Deschene
• Massachusetts Secretary of State William F. Galvin ^Ψ
• Scott Gilliland
• New Mexico Secretary of State Mary Herrera ^Ψ
• Retired public relations executive Marjorie Johnson
• Wisconsin Secretary of State Douglas La Follette ^Ψ
• Iowa Secretary of State Michael Mauro ^Ψ
• Connecticut State Representative and Majority Leader Denise Merrill
• Nevada Secretary of State Ross Miller ^Ψ
• North Dakota State Representative Corey Mock
• Rhode Island Secretary of State Ralph Mollis ^Ψ
• South Dakota State Senator Ben Nesselhuf
• Pulaski County Clerk and Obama delegate Pat O'Brien
• Franklin County Clerk of Courts Maryellen O'Shaughnessy
• Andrew Simons
• Vop Osili, founder and president of A2SO4, an Indianapolis-based architectural firm
• Rhode Island State Senator Leonidas Raptakis
• Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie ^Ψ
• Jeremy J. Ryan
• Mack Sermon
• Fremont attorney and former Mutual of Omaha corporate counsel, Janet Stewart
• Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White ^Ψ

Republican candidates

• Richard J. Abbate
• Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett ^Ψ
• Woburn City Clerk William C. Campbell
• Alabama Secretary of State Beth Chapman ^Ψ
• Former NFL player Damon Dunn
• New Mexico State Senator Dianna Duran
• Former Michigan State Representative Judy Emmons
• Illinois businessman Robert Enriquez
• Consumer Protection Commissioner Jerry Farrell
• Nebraska Secretary of State John A. Gale ^Ψ
• South Dakota State Senator Jason Gant
• Attorney Scott Gessler
• Vermont Commissioner of Forests, Parks and Recreation Jason Gibbs
• South Carolina Secretary of State Mark Hammond ^Ψ
• Ohio State Senator Jon A. Husted
• Oakland County Clerk Ruth Johnson
• Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp ^Ψ
• David D. King
• Past Chairman of Kansas' Republican Party Kris Kobach
• Robert Leslie "Rob" Lauer
• State Representative Mark Martin
• Wyoming Secretary of State Max Maxfield ^Ψ
• Council Bluffs City Councilman Matt Schultz
• Minnesota State Representative Dan Severson
• Idaho Secretary of State Ben Ysursa ^Ψ
• Current Chairman of the Hamilton County GOP, Charlie White

Former candidates

Republicans

• Deputy South Dakota Secretary of State Teresa Bray (Failed to receive nomination at the South Dakota State Republican Convention)
• Corey Brinson, a Hartford attorney who had announced his candidacy on June 29, 2009, withdrew his name from consideration a little under a year later and endorsed Farrell for the statewide position.
• Michigan State Senator Cameron Brown (Failed to receive nomination at the Michigan State Republican Convention)
• Former Salina resident J.R. Claeys (Lost Kansas primary election contest)
• South Dakota State Representative Thomas Deadrick (Failed to receive nomination at the South Dakota State Republican Convention)
• Former State Representative George Eichhorn (Lost Iowa primary election contest)
• Shawnee County election commissioner Elizabeth Ensley (Lost Kansas primary election contest)
• Sandy Springs City Commissioner Doug MacGinnite (Lost Georgia primary election contest)
• Michigan State Senator Michelle McManus (Failed to receive nomination at the Michigan State Republican Convention)
• Calhoun County Clerk Anne Norlander (Failed to receive nomination at the Michigan State Republican Convention)
• Former Ashtabula County Auditor Sandy O'Brien (Lost Ohio primary election contest)
• Attorney Chris Roy (Lost Vermont primary election contest)
• Chris Sanger (Lost Iowa primary election contest)
• Michigan State Representative Paul Scott (Failed to receive nomination at the Michigan State Republican Convention)
• Audra Strickland, California State Assemblywoman for the 37th Congressional District, had filed paperwork in January 2009 to start raising money to run for Secretary of State in 2010, but has as of November 2009 decided to run for treasurer of Ventura County instead.
• Attorney and Leading Birther Figure, Orly Taitz (Lost California primary election contest)

Democrats

• Marilyn Brown, the commissioner for Franklin County who announced her candidacy in March 2009, withdrew seven months later to focus instead on her re-election campaign.
• Georgia State Senator Gail Buckner (Lost Georgia primary runoff election contest)
• Dick Franson (Lost Minnesota primary election contest)
• Former alderman Gerry Garcia (Lost Connecticut primary election contest)
• Ohio State Representative for the 93rd Congressional District Jennifer Garrison, who launched her campaign in August 2009, dropped out of the race on January 30, 2010
• Connecticut State Senator Jonathan Harris voluntarily chose to drop out of the race following the state party convention, in spite of receiving the requisite fifteen percent of the delegate vote to force a primary.
• Former press secretary to then-Gov. Roy Barnes and attorney Gary Horlacher (Lost Georgia primary election contest)
• Attorney Charles Merriman (Lost Vermont primary election contest)
• Small business owner Michael Mills (Lost Georgia primary election contest)
• Angela Moore (Lost Georgia primary election contest)
• Kris Pierce, former executive director of the Douglas County Democratic Party, four months after announcing his candidacy for Nebraska Secretary of State, withdrew from the race in order to fill a vacant seat on the Omaha City Council.
• Connecticut State Representative James Field Spallone ended his exploratory campaign on March 23, 2010 and endorsed Denise Merrill.
• Kansas State Senator Chris Steineger (Lost Kansas primary election contest)
• Sebastian County clerk Doris Tate (Lost Arkansas primary election contest)
• Former Arizona Real Estate Commissioner Sam Wercinski (Lost Arizona primary election contest)
• Arkansas State Land Commissioner Mark Wilcox (Lost Arkansas primary runoff election contest)