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1994 Connecticut Secretary of the State election

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1994 Connecticut Secretary of State election

← 1990 November 8, 1994 1998 →
 
Nominee Miles S. Rapoport Andrea Scott
Party Democratic Republican
Alliance A Connecticut Party
Popular vote 493,995 491,758
Percentage 50.1% 49.9%

County results
Rapoport:      50–60%
Scott:      50–60%

Secretary of State before election

Pauline R. Kezer
Republican

Elected Secretary of State

Miles S. Rapoport
Democratic

The 1994 Connecticut Secretary of the State election took place on November 8, 1994, to elect the Secretary of the State of Connecticut. Incumbent Republican Pauline R. Kezer did not seek re-election to a second term, instead opting to run for governor.

Democratic nominee and state representative from the 18th district Miles S. Rapoport narrowly defeated Republican nominee Andrea Scott by 2,237 votes, a margin of just 0.22%. As of 2024, this was the last time the Secretary of the State of Connecticut changed partisan control.

Republican primary

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Candidates

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Nominee

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  • Andrea Scott, candidate for secretary of the state in 1990 and member of the State Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities[1]

Democratic primary

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Candidates

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Nominee

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Eliminated in primary

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Endorsements

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Miles S. Rapoport

State legislators

Organizations

Labor unions

Julia H. Tashjian

Organizations

  • Greater Bridgeport Women's Club[4]
  • United States Veterans political action committee[4]

Results

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The Democratic primary was held on September 13, 1994. State Representative Miles S. Rapoport defeated former Secretary of the State Julia H. Tashjian in a closer-than-expected race. Tashjian ran for re-election in 1990 but was defeated by Republican nominee Pauline R. Kezer. Tashjian was accused of benefiting from having her name next to state comptroller and gubernatorial candidate Bill Curry on the ballot, who exceeded expectations in the Democratic primary. Tashjian dismissed these claims, saying "Maybe Bill Curry benefitted a little bit from me. I went out there and met the voters."

Rapoport declared victory around 11:30 pm Tuesday night while Tashjian initially refused to concede the close race. [4]

Democratic primary results[4]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Miles S. Rapoport 77,253 52.53%
Democratic Julia H. Tashjian 69,801 47.47%
Total votes 147,054 100.0%

Third-party candidates and independent candidates

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A Connecticut Party

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A Connecticut Party endorsed Rapoport, giving him access to an additional ballot line. Rapoport received just over a quarter of his total vote share under A Connecticut Party. Official designee

General election

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Results

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1994 Connecticut Secretary of the State election[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Miles S. Rapoport 366,380 37.17%
A Connecticut Party Miles S. Rapoport 127,615 12.95%
Total Miles S. Rapoport 493,995 50.11%
Republican Andrea Scott 491,758 49.89%
Total votes 985,753 100.0%
Democratic gain from Republican

References

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  1. ^ Ravo, Nick (July 21, 1990). "Connecticut Republicans Appear Ready to Nominate Rep. Rowland". New York Times. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  2. ^ Connecticut Secretary of the State. "Candidate: Miles S. Rapoport - Election Results Archive". electionhistory.ct.gov. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  3. ^ Connecticut Secretary of the State. "Candidate: Julia H. Tashjian - Election Results Archive". electionhistory.ct.gov. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Keating, Christopher (September 14, 1994). "Rapoport Beats Tashjian in secretary of the state race". Hartford Courant. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  5. ^ Connecticut Secretary of the State. "1994 General Election - Secretary of the State". electionhistory.ct.gov. Retrieved March 29, 2024.