Denise Merrill

Denise W. Merrill (born October 8, 1948) is a Democratic politician and the current Connecticut Secretary of the State.[1] Merrill was previously a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives.

Denise Merrill
73rd Secretary of the State of Connecticut
Assumed office
January 5, 2011
GovernorDan Malloy
Ned Lamont
Preceded bySusan Bysiewicz
Member of the Connecticut House of Representatives
from the 54th district
In office
January 1995 – January 5, 2011
Preceded byJonathan Pelto
Succeeded byGregory Haddad
Personal details
Born (1948-10-08) October 8, 1948
San Mateo, California, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationUniversity of Connecticut (BA)
Alliant International University, San Francisco
WebsiteGovernment website

Education

Merrill graduated from the University of Connecticut.[2] She attended but did not graduate from the San Francisco Law School, now merged with Alliant International University, and was admitted to the State Bar of California.[3]

Career

Connecticut House of Representatives

Merrill was first elected to office in 1994 and served as the House Majority Leader after being elected to that position prior to the 2009 legislative session and until becoming Secretary of the State. Previously, Merrill had served as the House Chair on the Appropriations Committee from 2005 to 2008. In the State House she represented Fifty-Fourth Assembly District, which includes the towns of Mansfield and Chaplin.

Secretary of State

Following the state Democratic primary held on August 10, 2010, Merrill became her party's nominee for Secretary of the State for the November 2010 election.[4] She went on to defeat Republican candidate Jerry Farrell Jr. on November 2. As a serving Secretary of State, she is a part of the National Association of Secretaries of State and was also elected its president for the 2016–2017 term.[2]

Other work

She currently serves on the Board of Advisors of Let America Vote, an organization founded by former Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander that aims to end voter suppression.[5]

Personal life

Merrill is also a classically trained pianist. She has three grown children and five grandchildren.

Electoral history
Connecticut House of Representatives 54th District Election, 1994
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic* Denise Merrill 3,843 77.01
Republican David Dyer 1,147 22.99

*Merrill was also nominated on A Connecticut Party line.

Connecticut House of Representatives 54th District Election, 1996
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Denise Merrill (inc.) 4,748 100.00
Connecticut House of Representatives 54th District Election, 1998
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Denise Merrill (inc.) 3,384 100.00
Connecticut House of Representatives 54th District Election, 2000
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Denise Merrill (inc.) 4,506 100.00
Connecticut House of Representatives 54th District Election, 2002
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Denise Merrill (inc.) 3,959 76.95
Republican John Thatcher, III 1,186 23.05
Connecticut House of Representatives 54th District Election, 2004
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Denise Merrill (inc.) 6,312 94.51
Working Families Magdalena Russell 367 5.49
Connecticut House of Representatives 54th District Election, 2006
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic* Denise Merrill (inc.) 5,916 100.00
Write-in James Sargent 2 0.00

*Merrill was also listed on the Working Families Party line.

Connecticut House of Representatives 54th District Election, 2008
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Denise Merrill (inc.) 8,781 100.00
Connecticut Secretary of State Democratic Primary Election, 2010
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Denise Merrill 107,003 62.95
Democratic Gerry Garcia 62,978 37.05
Connecticut Secretary of State Election, 2010
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic* Denise Merrill 584,313 52.87
Republican Jerry Farrell, Jr. 484,163 43.81
Independent Michael Telesca 14,530 1.31
Green Michael DeRosa 13,566 1.23
Libertarian Ken Mosher 8,631 0.78

*Merrill was also listed on the Working Families Party line.

Connecticut Secretary of State Election, 2014
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic* Denise Merrill (inc.) 533,543 50.95
Republican* Peter Lumaj 489,515 46.75
Green Michael DeRosa 24,038 2.30

*Merrill was also listed on the Working Families Party line; Lumaj was also listed on the Independent Party line.

References
  1. "News From The Associated Press". Hosted.ap.org. November 5, 2010. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  2. "SOTS: The Biography of Denise Merrill". Sots.ct.gov. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  3. Lender, Jon (October 10, 2010). "Merrill: Once an Attorney, Always an Attorney?". Hartford Courant. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  4. "Connecticut Primaries: Results". Hartford Courant. August 10, 2010. Archived from the original on July 7, 2012. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
  5. "Advisors". Let America Vote. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
Connecticut House of Representatives
Preceded by
Jonathan Pelto		 Member of the Connecticut House of Representatives
from the 54th district
1995–2011		 Succeeded by
Gregory Haddad
Preceded by
Christopher Donovan		 Majority Leader of the Connecticut House of Representatives
2009–2011		 Succeeded by
Brendan Sharkey
Political offices
Preceded by
Susan Bysiewicz		 Secretary of State of Connecticut
2011–present		 Incumbent
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