Before campaign season starts in earnest, GOOD Morning Wilton will run election stories and submissions from candidates on Fridays. Materials can be submitted via email to editor@goodmorningwilton.com or through the “Submit a Story” link on every webpage at GOODMorningWilton.com.
The following information was submitted as a press release.
Denise Merrill, who has served three terms as Secretary of the State, recently endorsed Stephanie Thomas, calling the Norwalk Democrat “a tenacious and fierce advocate for issues we all care about.”
“Connecticut voters want a Secretary of the State who will fight every day to protect their right to cast a ballot and make their voice heard. Stephanie Thomas is the woman for the job,” Merrill said. “Stephanie has a clear, deep understanding of the issues and will defend our elections and voters every day, in Connecticut and at the national level. This job is not for the faint of heart, and I am confident that Stephanie will be ready on day one.”
[Editor’s note: Merrill recently stepped down from the post, citing the need to care for her ailing husband as the reason.]
Merrill said she has worked extensively with Thomas, who serves as Vice Chair of the General Assembly’s Government, Administration and Elections Committee, and is confident that Thomas has the experience and the vision to lead the Secretary of the State’s office.
“Denise Merrill’s leadership through some of the most difficult and contentious election cycles has made Connecticut a national leader in fair elections. We are facing profound challenges to the election laws here and across the country, and Denise has led the way to protect and expand voter rights. I am so honored to have Secretary Merrill’s support,” Thomas said.
Merrill was elected Secretary of the State in 2010 and re-elected in 2014 and 2018. Before that, she served eight terms in the State House of Representatives. Thomas, a strategy and fundraising consultant for nonprofits, is serving her first term in the State House of Representatives. Her candidacy for Secretary of the State was endorsed in May at the Democratic State Convention.
