2010 Connecticut Secretary of the State election

2010 Connecticut Secretary of State election

← 2006 November 2, 2010 2014 →

Nominee Denise Merrill Jerry Farrell Jr. Party Democratic Republican Alliance Working Families Popular vote 584,313 484,163 Percentage 52.9% 43.8%

County results Municipality results Congressional district results Merrill:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Farrell:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

Secretary of State before election Susan Bysiewicz Democratic Elected Secretary of State Denise Merrill Democratic

The 2010 Connecticut Secretary of the State election took place on November 2, 2010, to elect the Secretary of the State of Connecticut. Incumbent Democrat Susan Bysiewicz did not seek re-election to a 4th term, instead opting to run for Governor of Connecticut.

Democratic nominee and Majority Leader of the Connecticut House of Representatives Denise Merrill defeated Republican nominee Jerry Farrell Jr.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Denise Merrill, state representative from the 54th district (1993–2011) and House Majority Leader (2009–2011)^[1]

Eliminated in primary

• Gerry Garcia, member of the New Haven Board of Alders^[2]

Results

Democratic primary results^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Denise Merrill	107,003	62.95%
	Democratic	Gerry Garcia	62,978	37.05%
Total votes			169,981	100.0%

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Jerry Farrell Jr, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection (2006–2011), member of the Wallingford Town Council, and candidate for state representative from the 85th district in 2000^[4][5]

Third-party candidates and independent candidates

Working Families

The Working Families Party endorsed Merrill, giving her access to a second ballot line. Official designee

• Denise Merrill, state representative from the 54th district (1993–2011) and House Majority Leader (2009–2011)

Independent Party of Connecticut

Nominee

• Michael J. Telesca, candidate for state representative from the 73rd district in 2006, Waterbury registrar of voters in 2004, and Democratic candidate for town clerk of Waterbury in 2001^[6]

Green Party

Nominee

• S. Michael DeRosa, nominee for secretary of the state in 2006 and perennial candidate for state senator from the 1st district^[7]

Libertarian Party

Nominee

• Ken Mosher, nominee for secretary of the state in 2006 and 1998, and state treasurer in 2002^[8]

General election

Results

2010 Connecticut Secretary of the State election^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Denise Merrill	558,914	50.57%	−19.21%
	Working Families	Denise Merrill	25,399	2.30%	N/A
	Total	Denise Merrill (incumbent)	584,313	52.87%	-16.91
	Republican	Jerry Farrell Jr.	484,163	43.81%	+17.39%
	Independent Party	Michael J. Telesca	14,530	1.32%	N/A
	Green	S. Michael DeRosa	13,566	1.23%	−0.02%
	Libertarian	Ken Mosher	8,631	0.78%	−0.47%
Total votes			1,105,203	100.0%
	Democratic hold

By congressional district

Merrill won all five congressional districts.^[10]

District	Merrill	Farrell Jr.	Representative
1st	58%	39%	John B. Larson
2nd	52%	44%	Joe Courtney
3rd	56%	41%	Rosa DeLauro
4th	49%	48%	Jim Himes
5th	49%	48%	Chris Murphy

References

1. CT Mirror Staff (February 15, 2010). "Denise Merrill officially enters race for secretary of the state". CT Mirror. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
2. "Gerry Garcia". registercitizen.com. August 7, 2010. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
3. "2010 Aug 10 - Democratic Primary: Secretary of the State". Connecticut Secretary of the State.
4. "Jerry Farrell Jr". registercitizen.com. August 7, 2010. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
5. "Department of Consumer Protection Commissioners". CT.GOV. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
6. "Candidate: Michael J. Telesca - Election Results". electionhistory.ct.gov. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
7. "Candidate: S. Michael DeRosa - Election Results". electionhistory.ct.gov. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
8. "Candidate: Ken Mosher - Election Results". electionhistory.ct.gov. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
9. "2010 General Election - Secretary of the State". Connecticut Secretary of State.
10. "Statement of Vote" (PDF). Secretary of the State of Connecticut. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 17, 2025. Retrieved May 14, 2025.