# 2022 Connecticut Secretary of the State election

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vte :
The 2022 Connecticut Secretary of the State election took place on November 8, 2022, to elect the next Secretary of the State of Connecticut. Incumbent Democrat Denise Merrill planned to retire at the end of her elected term, but resigned on June 30 to care for her ailing husband. Governor Lamont appointed former associate attorney general Mark Kohler to the position. Kohler was sworn in on July 11. He was not a candidate for the office in the November election.

## Democratic primary
### Candidates
#### Nominee

* Stephanie Thomas, state representative from the 143rd district (2021–2023)

#### Eliminated in primary

* Maritza Bond, New Haven health director

#### Withdrawn

* Darryl Brackeen Jr., New Haven alderman (running for state house)
* Josh Elliott, state representative from the 88th district (2017–present) (running for re-election)
* Matt Lesser, state senator from the 9th district (2019–present)
* Hilda Santiago, state representative from the 84th district (2013–present)

#### Declined

* Mark Kohler, incumbent secretary of the state

### Controversy

During Matt Lesser's election bid for Secretary of the State in 2022, he faced backlash for attempting to change the order of balloting at the Democratic State Convention in the final hours.
Lesser pushed to have his race listed at the top rather than the end, a strategic move driven by the belief that his chances of endorsement might diminish if several white male candidates were considered before him.
Notably, two leading contenders for the endorsement were women of color, and the eventual nominee was Stephanie Thomas, the current Secretary of State.

### Endorsements

Local officials
* Justin Elicker, mayor of New Haven
* Matthew Hoey, Guilford first selectman
Labor unions
* Connecticut AFL–CIO
Organizations
* Connecticut Working Families Party
Labor unions
* United Auto Workers
Statewide officials
* Denise Merrill, former Secretary of the State of Connecticut (2011–2022)
State legislators
* Jorge Cabrera, state senator
* Josh Elliott, state representative
Local officials
* Lauren Garrett, mayor of Hamden
Organizations
* Democratic Party of Connecticut
Statewide officials
* Ned Lamont, governor of Connecticut

### Results

Democratic primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Stephanie Thomas | 84,392 | 75.81% |
| | Democratic | Maritza Bond | 26,929 | 24.19% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 111,321 | 100.0% |

## Republican primary
### Candidates
#### Nominee

* Dominic Rapini, senior account manager at Apple and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2018

#### Eliminated in primary

* Terrie Wood, state representative from the 141st district (2009–present)

#### Withdrawn

* Brock Weber, executive aide to New Britain mayor Erin Stewart

### Endorsements

Organizations
* Connecticut Republican Party

### Results

Republican primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Dominic Rapini | 51,080 | 58.23% |
| | Republican | Terrie Wood | 36,634 | 41.77% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 87,714 | 100.0 |

## Independent Party of Connecticut primary
### Candidates
#### Nominee

* Cynthia Jennings, environmental attorney

## Libertarian primary
### Nominee

* Stephen Dincher, chairman of the Libertarian Party of Connecticut

## Green primary
### Nominee

* Douglas Lary

## General election
### Debate

2022 Connecticut Secretary of the State debate :
| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Democratic | Republican | Libertarian | Green | Independent Party of Connecticut |
| Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | | | | |
| Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Stephanie Thomas | Dominic Rapini | Stephen Dincher | Douglas Lary | Cynthia Jennings |
| 1 | Oct. 25, 2022 | Connecticut Public Broadcasting | Walter Smith Randolph | YouTube | P | P | N | N | N |

### Predictions

| Source | Ranking | As of |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball | Safe D | December 1, 2021 |
| Elections Daily | Safe D | November 7, 2022 |

### Results

2022 Connecticut Secretary of the State election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Democratic | Stephanie Thomas | 665,631 | 53.44% | −0.37% |
| | Working Families | Stephanie Thomas | 22,083 | 1.77% | −0.30% |
| | Total | Stephanie Thomas | 687,714 | 55.22% | -0.67% |
| | Republican | Dominic Rapini | 532,218 | 42.73% | +0.27% |
| | Independent Party | Cynthia Jennings | 25,488 | 2.05% | N/A |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 1,245,420 | 100.0% | |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

#### By congressional district

Thomas won all 5 congressional districts.
| District | Thomas | Rapini | Representative |
| 1st | 60% | 37% | John B. Larson |
| 2nd | 53% | 45% | Joe Courtney |
| 3rd | 56% | 42% | Rosa DeLauro |
| 4th | 58% | 40% | Jim Himes |
| 5th | 50% | 48% | Jahana Hayes |