Denise Merrill
Denise Merrill (Democratic Party) was the Connecticut Secretary of State. She assumed office on January 5, 2011. She left office on June 30, 2022.
Merrill (Democratic Party) ran for re-election for Connecticut Secretary of State. She won in the general election on November 6, 2018.
Merrill resigned as Connecticut Secretary of State on June 30, 2022.[1]
In addition to running as a Democratic Party candidate, Merrill cross-filed to also run with the Working Families Party in 2018.[2]
Prior to becoming secretary of state, Merill was a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives. She was first elected by the state's fifty-fourth House district in 1992, and was re-elected every two years subsequently. She was chair of the House Appropriations Committee from 2005 to 2008 and, for her final year in the legislature, Merill served as House majority leader.[3]
Biography
Merill is a native of San Mateo, Calif. She graduated from the University of Connecticut in 1988 and previously attended San Francisco Law School. Merill is a licensed attorney and a former state lawmaker for the Connecticut House of Representatives.
Merill began her career as a self-employed lawyer, but switched to teaching after two years. She later began consulting on educational issues in Connecticut. From 1984 to 1994, she worked as a consultant for the Connecticut State Department of Education while serving as executive director of the Consortium for Law and Citizenship Education Incorporated. She held the latter position from 1984 to 1991. Merill went on to serve as director of the Training Resource Academy at the Child Health and Development Institute of Connecticut.
Education
- Attended San Francisco Law School (1974-75)
- Bachelor's degree, University of Connecticut (1988)[3]
Political career
Connecticut Secretary of State (2011-2022)
Merrill has served as the Secretary of State of Connecticut since 2011.[3]
June 2017 request for voter rolls
On June 29, 2017, the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, created by President Donald Trump (R) on May 11, requested information on registered voters from all 50 states dating back to 2006. The states were given until July 14 to respond. On June 29, Secretary Merrill announced that the state would provide only publicly available information to the commission.
| “ | In the spirit of transparency we intend to share publicly-available information with the Kobach Commission while ensuring
that the privacy of voters is honored by withholding protected data. In the same spirit of transparency, we will request that the Commission share any memos, meeting minutes or additional information as state officials have not been told precisely what the Commission is looking for.[4] |
” |
| —Secretary Denise Merrill[5] | ||
Connecticut House of Representatives (1992-2010)
Merrill was a representative in the Connecticut House of Representatives from 1992 to 2010.[3] She was the majority leader from 2008 to 2010.[6]
Elections
2022
Denise Merrill announced on June 23, 2021, that she would not be running for re-election.[7]
2018
General election
General election for Connecticut Secretary of State
Incumbent Denise Merrill defeated Susan Chapman, Mike DeRosa, and Heather Gwynn in the general election for Connecticut Secretary of State on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Denise Merrill (D) | 55.9 | 764,067 |
 | Susan Chapman (R) | 42.5 | 580,779 | |
 | Mike DeRosa (G) | 0.9 | 12,469 | |
 | Heather Gwynn (L) | 0.8 | 10,361 | |
| Total votes: 1,367,676 | |||
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Democratic primary election
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
2014
Merrill ran for re-election in 2014. She was uncontested for the Democratic nomination in the primary on August 12 and defeated Republican Peter Lumaj and Green Party candidate Mike DeRosa in the general election.[8] The general election took place on November 4, 2014.
Results
| Secretary of State of Connecticut, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Denise Merrill Incumbent |
51% | 533,543 | |
| Republican | Peter Lumaj | 46.7% | 489,515 | |
| Green | Mike DeRosa | 2.3% | 24,038 | |
| Total Votes | 1,047,096 | |||
| Election results via Connecticut Secretary of State | ||||
2010
| 2010 Race for Secretary of State - Democratic Primary[9] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote Percentage | |
| Democratic Party |  Denise Merrill
|
62.9% | |
| Democratic Party | Gerry Garcia | 37.1% | |
| Total Votes | 169,981 | ||
| 2010 Race for Secretary of State - General Election[10] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote Percentage | |
| Democratic Party | Denise Merrill
|
52.9% | |
| Republican Party | Jerry Farrell | 43.8% | |
| Independent | Michael J. Telesca | 1.3% | |
| Green Party | S. Michael DeRosa | 1.2% | |
| Libertarian Party | Ken Mosher | 0.8% | |
| Total Votes | 1,105,203 | ||
2008
- 2008 Race for Connecticut House of Representatives, District 54 - Democratic Primary and General Election[11]
- Denise Merrill ran unopposed in both contests
2006
- 2006 Race for Connecticut House of Representatives, District 54 - Democratic Primary and General Election[12]
- Denise Merrill ran unopposed in both contests
2004
- 2004 Race for Connecticut House of Representatives, District 54 - Democratic Primary and General Election[13]
- Denise Merrill ran unopposed in both contests
2002
| 2002 Race for State House, District 54 - General Election[14] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote Percentage | |
| Democratic Party | Denise Merrill
|
54.4% | |
| Republican Party | John B. Thacher, III | 45.6% | |
| Total Votes | 5,145 | ||
2000
- 2000 Race for Connecticut House of Representatives, District 54 - Democratic Primary and General Election[15]
- Denise Merrill ran unopposed in both contests
1998
- 1998 Race for Connecticut House of Representatives, District 54 - Democratic Primary and General Election[16]
- Denise Merrill ran unopposed in both contests
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Notable endorsements
This section displays endorsements this individual made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage scope.
Ballot measure activity
The following table details Merrill's ballot measure stances available on Ballotpedia:
| Ballot measure support and opposition for Denise Merrill | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ballot measure | Year | Position | Status |
| Connecticut Question 1, Allow for Early Voting Amendment (2022) | 2022 | Supported[17] | Approved |
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Merrill received the Environmental Champion Award (2009) from the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters.[18]
| Other roles (click "show"): | |
|---|---|
| |
Contact information
Capitol Address:
Office of Secretary of State
210 Capitol Avenue, Suite 104
Hartford, CT 06106
Phone: (860) 509-6200
Fax: (860) 509-6209
E-mail: susan.bysiewicz@po.state.ct.us
Mailing Address:
Secretary of State
ATTN: Capitol Office
Post Office Box 150470
Hartford, CT 06115-0470
See also
- Connecticut Secretary of State
- Connecticut Secretary of State election, 2010
- Connecticut secretary of state election, 2014
- Connecticut secretary of state election, 2018
- Secretary of State
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ WFSB, "Conn. Secretary of State Denise Merrill resigns," accessed July 1, 2022
- ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State, "2018 List of Candidates," accessed October 29, 2018
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Project Vote Smart, "Biography" accessed October 2, 2012
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ State of Connecticut, "Secretary Merrill on the Letter from the Kobach Commission," June 29, 2017
- ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State, "Biography" accessed October 2, 2012
- ↑ Twitter, "Denise Merrill," June 23, 2021
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedreelec14 - ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State - 2010 Primary Election Results
- ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State - 2010 General Election Results
- ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State - Vote for State House 2008
- ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State - Vote for State House 2006
- ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State - Vote for State House 2004
- ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State - Vote for State House 2002
- ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State - Vote for State House 2000
- ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State - Vote for State House 1998
- ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State, "Secretary Merrill Statement on Passage of Early Voting Constitutional Amendment," accessed December 7, 2022
- ↑ Mansfield Today, "Rep. Denise Merrill honored for standing firm on environmental issues" 8 Dec. 2009
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Connecticut Secretary of State 2011-2022 |
Succeeded by Mark Kohler (D) |
| Preceded by - |
Connecticut House of Representatives District 54 1993-2010 |
Succeeded by - |
| |||||||||||||||||||
 |
State of Connecticut Hartford (capital) |
|---|---|
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