Denise Merrill has filed paperwork to seek re-election to a third term as Connecticut”™s secretary of state.
In a written statement, the 68-year-old Merrill claimed that she is seeking re-election to preserve a basic tenet of the American political system.
“Now more than ever, we need to protect voting rights and stand up for our democracy,” she said in her statement. “There are voices calling for roiling back hard won voting rights. Their actions would erode our shared democracy. I say to them: ‘Not on my watch.'”
Merrill, who was first elected in 2010 and re-elected four years later, may seek a primary challenge from Karen Talamelli Cusick, chairwoman of the Woodbridge Democratic Town Committee and finance director for Project Service LLC, the Milford-based operator of the Connecticut Service Plazas on the state”™s highways. State Rep. Matt Lesser (D-Middletown) had created an exploratory committee to pursue the position, but he stated he would only run if Merrill declined to seek another term.
