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Connecticut Attorney General election, 2010
The Connecticut Attorney General election of 2010 was held on November 2, 2010. Candidates vied to replace five-term attorney general Richard Blumenthal, who had declared his intention to seek the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Christopher Dodd.[1]
Democrat George C. Jepsen won the race with 53.7 percent of the vote, while his Republican opponent Martha Dean received 43.6 percent. Mark Fournier of the Green Party received 2.7 percent of the vote.
General election campaign
Candidates
Republican Party - Private attorney Martha Dean
Democratic Party - Private attorney and former State Rep. George C. Jepsen
Green Party - Hartford attorney Stephen Fournier
General election results
| 2010 Race for Attorney General - General Election[2] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote Percentage | |
| Democratic Party |  George C. Jepsen
|
53.7% | |
| Republican Party | Martha Dean | 43.6% | |
| Green Party | Stephen Fournier | 2.7% | |
| Total Votes | 1,101,794 | ||
Debates
September 23rd
The first debate between Republican Martha Dean and Democrat George C. Jepsen, the two major party candidates seeking to replace outgoing State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, who has chosen to run for the United States Senate rather then seek re-election, was held on Thursday, September 23rd at the University of Connecticut Law School. Sponsored by LexisNexis, the event featured Jeffrey Forte, publisher of the Connecticut Law Tribune, as moderator and Jeremy Paul (Dean of the UConn School of Law), Thomas Scheffey (senior writer for the Connecticut Law Tribune), Mark Pazniokas (Capital Bureau Chief of the Connecticut Mirror), and Yamuna Menon (President of the Student Bar Association) as panelists.
October 11th
The Quinnipiac University School of Law played host to the second state attorney general debate on Monday, October 11th. The event was sponsored by the Connecticut Bar Association (CBA), the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association (CTLA), and the League of Women Voters of Connecticut, Inc. (LWVCT). Timothy S. Fisher, Hartford attorney and Distinguished Practitioner in Residence at Quinnipiac University School of Law, served as moderator with panelists including Livia DeFilippis Barndollar, CBA member and partner at New Canaan's Marvin Ferro Barndollar & Roberts LLC; David N. Rosen, of New Haven's David Rosen & Associates PC; and Christine Horrigan, vice president and board member of LWVCT.
Endorsements
- Mark Greenberg, an unsuccessful Republican candidate in Connecticut's 5th Congressional District[3]
- Communications Workers of America (CWA)[4]
- Connecticut AFL-CIO[5]
- Connecticut Citizen Action Group (CCAG)[6]
- Congressman Chris Murphy[7][8]
- CSEA/SEIU Local 2001[9]
- International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 90[9]
- Ned Lamont, Democratic gubernatorial candidate[10]
- John Larson, Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives[11]
- Love Makes a Family PAC[12]
- Dan Malloy, Democratic gubernatorial candidate[10]
- NARAL Pro-Choice Connecticut PAC[13]
Finances
According to the Connecticut Elections Enforcement Commission, as of September 9, 2010, the breakdown of campaign finances in the general election was as follows:
| Martha Dean Campaign Finance Reports | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Contributions | In-Kind [14] | Other Sources | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | |
| July 28 - September 2, 2010[15] | September 9, 2010 | $5,863.35 | $8,920.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $9,764.71 | $5,018.64 | |
| George C. Jepsen Campaign Finance Reports | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Contributions | In-Kind [14] | Other Sources | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | |
| May 10 - July 11, 2010[16] | July 15, 2010 | $0.00 | $84,521.00 | $3,750.00 | $0.00 | $49,278.93 | $35,242.07 | |
Polling
Suffolk University Poll
| Suffolk University Poll - October 19 - 20, 2010[17] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Percentage | |||
 George C. Jepsen (D)
|
40% | |||
| Martha Dean (R) | 28% | |||
| Stephen Fournier (Green) | 5% | |||
| Undecided | 28% | |||
| Total voters | 500 | |||
August 10, 2010 primaries
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Former state legislative and Democratic Party leader George C. Jepsen[18] [19]
Electoral results
- George C. Jepsen ran unopposed in this contest
Drop outs
- Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz, who in January 2009 initially announced that she would be entering the 2010 race for Governor of Connecticut, reversed course a year later and decided to run for attorney general instead.[20][21] After a five month legal battle over her eligibility as dictated by state law, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled on May 18, 2010, that she failed to meet the standard qualifications to campaign for the statewide office.
- State Representative Cameron Staples, who entered the state attorney general race in January 2010, withdrew four months later after assessing that he could not win if his candidacy forced a primary contest.[22][23]
Finances
According to the Connecticut Elections Enforcement Commission, as of July 22, 2010, the breakdown of campaign finances in the Democratic primary were at follows:
| Susan Bysiewicz Campaign Finance Reports | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Contributions | In-Kind [14] | Other Sources | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | |
| April 1 - June 30, 2010[24] | July 12, 2010 | $345,718.44 | $22,940.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $91,002.34 | $277,656.10 | |
| January 1 - March 31, 2010[25] | April 12, 2010 | $0.00 | $427,191.25 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $81,472.81 | $345,718.44 | |
| Cameron Staples Campaign Finance Reports | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Contributions | In-Kind [14] | Other Sources | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | |
| April 1 - June 30, 2010[26] | July 12, 2010 | $20,528.24 | $13,300.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $24,913.80 | $8,914.44 | |
| January 1 - March 31, 2010[27] | April 12, 2010 | $0.00 | $26,805.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $6,276.76 | $20,528.24 | |
Republican primary
Candidates
- Martha Dean, an attorney who first ran for Connecticut Attorney General in 2002 against Richard Blumenthal[28] [29]
- Attorney Ross Garber[30]
Electoral results
| 2010 Race for Attorney General - Republican Primary[31] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote Percentage | |
| Republican Party | Martha Dean
|
60.5% | |
| Republican Party | Ross Garber | 39.5% | |
| Total Votes | 112,912 | ||
Drop outs
- State Representative Arthur O'Neill received less than the requisite 15% at the state convention to force a primary.[32]
- Attorney and Republican activist John Pavia withdrew his name from consideration right before the state Republican convention.[33]
Endorsements
- Connecticut Citizens Defense League[34]
- Family Institute of Connecticut[35][36]
- Pauline R. Kezer, former Connecticut Secretary of State[37]
- Right Principles[35]
- State Representative Selim Noujaim[38]
- State Representative Arthur O'Neill[38]
- State Representative T.R. Rowe[39]
- State Senator Kevin Witkos[38]
- Corey Brinson, an attorney from Bloomfield and former Republican candidate for Secretary of the State[40]
- Kevin O’Connor, former United States Attorney[41]
- State Representative Lawrence Cafero[42][43] (State House Minority Leader)
- State Representative Livvy Floren
- State Representative Pamela Sawyer[44] (State House Minority Whip)
- State Senator Tony Guglielmo[45]
- State Senator John McKinney[43][46] (State Senate Minority Leader)
Finances
According to the Connecticut Elections Enforcement Commission, as of August 9, 2010, the breakdown of campaign finances in the Republican primary were as follows:
| Martha Dean Campaign Finance Reports | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Contributions | In-Kind [14] | Other Sources | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | |
| July 1 - July 27, 2010[47] | August 3, 2010 | $13,833.63 | $5,620.70 | $512.50 | $0.00 | $13,590.98 | $5,863.35 | |
| April 1 - June 30, 2010[48] | July 12, 2010 | $4,235.35 | $21,437.00 | $1,040.00 | $0.00 | $11,838.72 | $13,833.63 | |
| January 1 - March 31, 2010[49] | April 12, 2010 | $0.00 | $4,500.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $264.65 | $4,235.35 | |
| Ross Garber Campaign Finance Reports | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Contributions | In-Kind [14] | Other Sources | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | |
| July 1 - July 27, 2010[50] | August 3, 2010 | $60,936.87 | $24,085.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $56,858.78 | $28,163.09 | |
| April 1 - June 30, 2010[51] | July 12, 2010 | $0.00 | $72,640.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $11,703.13 | $60,936.87 | |
Noteworthy events
Ineligable candidate
Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz announced her intent to run for attorney general. The state Supreme Court declared that Bysiewicz was ineligible to run for the office because she did not meet the statutory requirement that the attorney general be "an attorney at law of at least ten years’ active practice at the bar of this state".[52][53]
See also
External links
- List of candidates qualified for Connecticut's August 10 Attorney General primary
- Green Paper's list of candidates for Connecticut Secretary of State, 2010
General Election candidates
Former candidates
- Susan Bysiewicz for Connecticut 2010 Campaign website
- Cam Staples for Attorney General Campaign website
- Ross Garber for Attorney General Campaign website
Footnotes
- ↑ The Huffington Post, "Richard Blumenthal Will Run To Replace Dodd In Senate" 6 Jan. 2010
- ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State - 2010 General Election Results
- ↑ The Hartford Courant, "Mark Greenberg endorses Martha Dean" 20 Sept. 2010
- ↑ Communication Workers of America - Endorsements
- ↑ AFL-CIO - 2010 Endorsements
- ↑ Connecticut Citizen Action Group - CCAG Endorses Jepsen, Merrill, Lembo for Statewide Offices
- ↑ Connecticut News, "Congressman Murphy Announces Endorsement of George Jepsen for Attorney General" 16 April, 2010
- ↑ My Left Nutmeg, "Chris Murphy endorses George Jepsen for Attorney General" 16 April, 2010
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Connecticut News, "George Jepsen endorsed by two unions" 15 July, 2010
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 CT News Wire, "Malloy and Lamont Endorse" 21 May, 2010
- ↑ Connecticut Plus, "Debate on the debates, pension and health care, eye on recovery" 13 Sept. 2010
- ↑ Love Makes a Family PAC "Endorsements for State Offices" 23 Aug. 2010
- ↑ NARAL Pro-Choice Connecticut "NARAL Pro-Choice Connecticut PAC endorses Ross Garber, Kevin Lembo, Matt Ritter and Susana Vidan in the 2010 primaries," July 22, 2010
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 [As these are not cash contributions, they are not reflected in the reported ending balance] Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "notcash" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid<ref>tag; name "notcash" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid<ref>tag; name "notcash" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ State Elections Enforcement Commission - Martha Dean 30 Days Following Primary Campaign Contribution Disclosure Report Summary
- ↑ State Elections Enforcement Commission - George C. Jepsen July 2010 Campaign Contribution Disclosure Report Summary
- ↑ Suffolk University, "Democrats Leading for Governor and U.S. Senate in Connecticut" 21 Oct. 2010
- ↑ New Haven Independent, "Jepsen’s Running For AG" 6 Jan. 2010
- ↑ YouTube, "George Jepsen acceptance speech" 26 May, 2010
- ↑ The Middletown Press, "Bysiewicz announces intention to run for governor" 27 Jan. 2009
- ↑ The Middletown Press, "Bysiewicz to seek AG spot" 13 Jan. 2010
- ↑ Connecticut News, "Attorney General Race Getting Crowded: Rep. Cam Staples Joins The Party" 20 Jan. 2010
- ↑ Connecticut Mirror, "Staples out, but Bysiewicz faces appeal" 12 May, 2010
- ↑ State Elections Enforcement Commission - Susan Bysiewicz July 2010 Campaign Contribution Disclosure Report Summary
- ↑ State Elections Enforcement Commission - Susan Bysiewicz April 2010 Campaign Contribution Disclosure Report Summary
- ↑ State Elections Enforcement Commission - Cameron Staples July 2010 Campaign Contribution Disclosure Report Summary
- ↑ State Elections Enforcement Commission - Cameron Staples April 2010 Campaign Contribution Disclosure Report Summary
- ↑ Connecticut Post, "Avon Republican enters attorney general race" 4 March, 2010
- ↑ The Hartford Courant, "Dean Wins 4-Way Race For Attorney General" 23 May, 2010
- ↑ The Hartford Courant, "Republican Ross Garber Is Running For Attorney General; Exit By Susan Bysiewicz, His Sister-in-Law, Opens Door" 19 May, 2010
- ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State - 2010 Primary Election Results
- ↑ The Hartford Courant, "Rep. Arthur O'Neill Running For Attorney General; Says Thursday Announcement Before Saturday is Not Last Minute" 20 May, 2010
- ↑ Hartford Courant, "GOP's John Pavia Running For Attorney General; Worked With Ex-Democratic State Chairman John Droney" 26 Jan. 2010
- ↑ Ammo Land, "Connecticut Citizens Defense League Endorses Martha Dean For Attorney General" 29 July, 2010
- ↑ 35.0 35.1 The Hartford Courant, "Martha Dean picks up a couple of endorsements" 2 June, 2010
- ↑ Christian News Wire, "Family Institute of Connecticut Action Committee Endorses Republican Martha Dean for Attorney General" 17 May, 2010
- ↑ Middletown Press, "Former Secretary of the State Pauline Kezer joins Martha Dean's attorney general campaign," June 23, 2010
- ↑ 38.0 38.1 38.2 The Register Citizen News, "Witkos supports Martha Dean for attorney general" 5 Aug. 2010
- ↑ Connecticut News, "Rep. T.R. Rowe of Trumbull Endorses Martha Dean for GOP Attorney General Candidacy" 6 Aug. 2010
- ↑ Connecticut Plus, "Former candidate for Secretary of the State endorses Ross Garber for AG" 18 June, 2010
- ↑ Ethiopian Review, "Former U.S. Attorney Kevin O’Connor Now Serving As Ross Garber’s Campaign Chairman For CT Attorney General" 11 June, 2010 (dead link)
- ↑ Shoreline Plus, "Ross Garber wins Cafer endorsement" 21 July, 2010
- ↑ 43.0 43.1 Connecticut News, "Ross Garber gets McKinney endorsement" 4 Aug. 2010 (dead link)
- ↑ Connecticut Plus, "House Republican Whip Sawyer endorses Ross Garber for Attorney General" 7 Aug. 2010
- ↑ Stamford Plus, "Senator Tony Guglielmo backs Garber" 23 June, 2010
- ↑ Stamford Plus, "McKinney endorses Garber for Attorney General" 4 Aug. 2010
- ↑ State Elections Enforcement Commission - Martha Dean August 2010 Campaign Contribution Disclosure Report Summary
- ↑ State Elections Enforcement Commission - Martha Dean July 2010 Campaign Contribution Disclosure Report Summary
- ↑ State Elections Enforcement Commission - Martha Dean April 2010 Campaign Contribution Disclosure Report Summary
- ↑ State Elections Enforcement Commission - Ross Garber August 2010 Campaign Contribution Disclosure Report Summary
- ↑ State Elections Enforcement Commission - Ross Garber July 2010 Campaign Contribution Disclosure Report Summary
- ↑ The Hartford Courant, "Supreme Court Rules Against Bysiewicz" 19 May, 2010
- ↑ [chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.jud.ct.gov/external/supapp/Cases/AROcr/CR298/298CR105.pdf Connecticut Judicial Branch, "Bysiewicz v. Dinardo," accessed April 29, 2024]
