Denise Merrill not running for another term as Connecticut Secretary of the State

Secretary of the State Denise Merrill announced Wednesday she will not seek re-election to a fourth term, the first concrete move towards shaping a 2022 election cycle expected to be dominated by the re-election bids of Gov. Ned Lamont and U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal.

Merrill, 72, intends to exit politics in January 2023 after three decades in Hartford, first as a state legislator who rose to House majority leader, then as the statewide elected official overseeing business filings and elections administration.

“I like to think these jobs are borrowed jobs,” said Merrill, a Democrat who seriously considered leaving the office after two terms. “No one should be here forever. People come in with new ideas. I’ve been in for three terms, almost.”

Unlike in 2018, when Merrill and Comptroller Kevin Lembo were the only statewide constitutional officers seeking re-election, the governor, lieutenant governor, treasurer and attorney general are first-termers and are expected to run again. Lembo has not ruled out a fourth term.

Read more: https://ctmirror.org/2021/06/23/secretary-of-state-denise-merill-not-running-2022/