According to CTNewsJunkie: Majority Leader Will Run For Statewide Office <read>
Majority Leader Denise Merrill of Mansfield said Friday that she will be officially announcing her candidacy for Secretary of the State next week.
“I’m not exploring, I’m running,” Merrill said Friday.
Merrill, who has served in the House of Representatives since 1994, entered politics through a League of Women Voters law and citizenship program, so running for Secretary of State is “going back to my roots,” she said.
Merrill also was once the vice chairwoman of the legislature’s General Administration and Elections Committee. She has also served as chairwoman of the legislature’s powerful Appropriations Committee.
We see multiple reasons why several Representatives and Senators are considering the office: 1) It is the only open constitutional office in addition to Governor. 2) It is a traditional stepping stone to higher office. 3) Perhaps some are tiring of the legislature. AND 4) A genuine interest in making a difference in the responsibilities and possibilities of the office.
See our last post for a list of references, current candidates, and those with exploratory committees.
Update: Chris Keating’s blog at the Courant: House Majority Leader Denise Merrill, Sen. Jonathan Harris Running For Secretary Of The State; To Replace Bysiewicz <read>
“Right now, it’s a game-changing time for the state of Connecticut,” Harris said in an interview. “We have our backs against the wall, and I don’t think we’re going to get a second chance. … It’s going to be a tough year for election – a volatile year. It’s a wide-open, Wild West kind of year.”
Merrill, a lawmaker since 1993, focused early in her career on many of the issues associated with the Secretary of the State’s office and served as vice chairwoman under Bysiewicz on the legislative committee that oversees campaign financing and elections.
Where have we head a reference to the Wild West before? It was from Rep Chris Caruso describing the election system as conducted by the registrars of voters. Iin a public hearing about two years ago in Danbury:
Representative Caruso again mentioned consistency. He mentioned previous testimony that registrars say they have violated the law. He said the “wild west approach” needs to end.
