2022 Connecticut Secretary of the State election

The 2022 Connecticut Secretary of the State election took place on November 8, 2022, to elect the next Secretary of the State of Connecticut. Incumbent Democrat Denise Merrill planned to retire at the end of her elected term, but resigned on June 30 to care for her ailing husband. Governor Lamont appointed former associate attorney general Mark Kohler to the position. Kohler was sworn in on July 11. He was not a candidate for the office in the November election.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Stephanie Thomas, state representative from the 143rd district

Eliminated in primary

Maritza Bond, New Haven health director

Withdrawn

Darryl Brackeen Jr., New Haven alderman '
Josh Elliott, state representative from the 88th district '
Matt Lesser, state senator from the 9th district
Hilda Santiago, state representative from the 84th district

Declined

Mark Kohler, incumbent secretary of the state

Controversy

During Matt Lesser's election bid for Secretary of the State in 2022, he faced backlash for attempting to change the order of balloting at the Democratic State Convention in the final hours.
Lesser pushed to have his race listed at the top rather than the end, a strategic move driven by the belief that his chances of endorsement might diminish if several white male candidates were considered before him.
Notably, two leading contenders for the endorsement were women of color, and the eventual nominee was Stephanie Thomas, the current Secretary of State.