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Stephanie Thomas (politician)

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Stephanie Thomas
Thomas in 2023
75th Secretary of the State of Connecticut
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 4, 2023
GovernorNed Lamont
Preceded byMark Kohler
Member of the Connecticut House of Representatives
from the 143rd district
In office
January 6, 2021 – January 4, 2023
Preceded byGail Lavielle
Succeeded byDominique Johnson
Personal details
Born1968 or 1969 (age 55–56)
Political partyDemocratic
EducationNew York University (BS)
New School (MS)
WebsiteState House website
Campaign website

Stephanie Thomas (born 1968 or 1969)[1] is an American politician and former nonprofit executive who has served as Secretary of the State of Connecticut since January 2023.[2] A Democrat, she previously represented the 143rd district in the Connecticut House of Representatives from 2021 to 2023.

Thomas is the first African-American to serve as Secretary of the State of Connecticut.[3]

Education

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As a high school student, Thomas volunteered for organizations including Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the Special Olympics.[4] Thomas earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from New York University. She later received a master's degree in nonprofit management from The New School.

Early career

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Prior to becoming a state legislator, she was a consultant active in the nonprofit sector for 26 years. She founded and owns Stetwin Consulting, a Norwalk-based consulting firm that advises nonprofits on fundraising strategies.[5] Prior to running for the state legislature, she was a member of the Norwalk Democratic Town Committee.[6]

Connecticut House of Representatives

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2018 candidacy

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In 2018, Thomas ran to represent the 143rd district in the Connecticut House of Representatives.[7] She ran as a political newcomer against Republican incumbent Gail Lavielle, who had been expected to run unopposed up until the final days of the filing deadline.[6] Her candidacy was supported by the Connecticut Working Families Party.[8]

2020 election and tenure

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Thomas decided to mount another candidacy to represent the district in the 2020 election. She announced her candidacy in February 2020, and expressed her intention to run against Lavielle.[9] However, Lavielle decided to forgo a bid for reelection, and supported fellow Republican Patrizia Zucaro's candidacy to succeed her.[10]

Thomas ultimately won the general election against Zucaro[11][12] She took office on January 6, 2021. As a member of the state house, Thomas served as a member of both the Commerce and Transportation Committees, as well as the Government Administration and Elections Committee.[13]

2020 Connecticut State House of Representatives election, District 143[14]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Stephanie Thomas 8,105 53.70
Republican Patrizia Zucaro 6,409 42.47
Independent Party Patrizia Zucaro 321 2.13
Working Families Stephanie Thomas 257 1.70
Total votes 15,092 100.00
Democratic gain from Republican

Secretary of the State

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2022 election

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Thomas ran for the position of Secretary of the State in the 2022 election after incumbent Denise Merrill declined to run for a fourth term in office.[15] Thomas faced Maritza Bond, health director of New Haven, in the Democratic primary. Bond received the endorsements of several labor unions, while Thomas received the endorsement of the state Democratic Party.

Thomas in January 2023

During the primary campaign, Bond criticized Thomas for missing a legislative vote related to state employees' union contracts. She defended her record, noting the labor endorsements she received during her state house candidacy. She stated she missed the vote due to work-related duties at her day job leading a nonprofit.[16]

Thomas ultimately won the nomination against Bond.[17] In the genera election, Thomas ran on a platform that supported expanding access to voting.[3] Thomas won the general election against Republican opponent Dominic Rapini.[18] Thomas' victory made her the first African-American to serve as Secretary of the State.[3][19]

2022 Connecticut Secretary of the State election[20]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Stephanie Thomas 665,631 53.44% −0.37%
Working Families Stephanie Thomas 22,083 1.77% −0.30%
Total Stephanie Thomas 687,714 55.22% -0.67%
Republican Dominic Rapini 532,218 42.73% +0.27%
Independent Party Cynthia Jennings 25,488 2.05% N/A
Total votes 1,245,420 100.0%
Democratic hold

Tenure

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Thomas being sworn in as Secretary of the State on January 4, 2023

Following the controversial 2023 Bridgeport mayoral election, which was surrounded by allegations of voting irregularities, Thomas weighed in in support of proposed state legislation to increase election oversight.[21] In 2024, Thomas presided over the launch of the NextGen Elections program, which aims to recruit college students to become election workers.[22]

In 2024, Thomas testified before the state legislature on the need to protect election workers from security threats.[23] Under Thomas, the Secretary of the State's office has led an outreach campaign to help Connecticut residents identify election misinformation and disinformation.[24]

References

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  1. ^ Bergman, Julia (August 6, 2022). "Personality and experience separate Democrats in secretary of the state race". CT Insider. Retrieved April 20, 2023. The race between Bond, 45, of New Haven, and Thomas, 53, of Norwalk is about who can turn out more voters to the polls during a sleepy August primary.
  2. ^ "Stephanie Thomas (Connecticut)".
  3. ^ a b c Rodriguez, Barbara (2023-02-16). "CT approved early voting. Here's how the secretary of state wants to make it happen". CT Mirror. Retrieved 2024-09-13. Thomas, a Democrat and former state lawmaker who campaigned on expanding voting access, defeated Republican Dominic Rapini, who questioned the 2020 election results and claimed without proof that voter fraud is rampant. In the process, Thomas made history as the first Black person to be elected to the post.
  4. ^ Shaiken, Ben (2018-09-26). "Stephanie Thomas". The Alliance. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  5. ^ Lebrun, Sylvan (2022-04-14). "State Rep. Stephanie Thomas runs for Secretary of the State with plans to engage voters". Yale Daily News. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  6. ^ a b Herve, Heather Borden (2018-06-25). "Newcomer Stephanie Thomas Challenges Gail Lavielle for State House Seat". Good Morning Wilton. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  7. ^ Tomlinson, Pat (2018-07-05). "Thomas vs. Lavielle is official for the 143rd District". CTInsider. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  8. ^ Hard, Jeanne (2018-10-26). "Stephanie Thomas Endorsed by CT Working Families". Wilton, CT Patch. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  9. ^ Borden Herve, Heather (2020-02-06). "BREAKING NEWS: Stephanie Thomas to Challenge Gail Lavielle". Good Morning Wilton. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  10. ^ Borden Herve, Heather (2020-04-21). "Westport Republican Lawyer Announces Run for Gail Lavielle's Seat". Good Morning Wilton. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  11. ^ "Stephanie Thomas, Democrat, 143rd House District candidate". thehour.com. The Norwalk Hour. 28 September 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  12. ^ Simmons, DJ (2020-11-04). "Thomas prevails in race for 143rd District". Westport News. Retrieved 2021-05-26.
  13. ^ Ballotpedia. "Stephanie Thomas (Connecticut)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference onlineresults was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Chapman, Nancy Guenther (2021-12-01). "Norwalk State Rep. Thomas seeks CT Secretary of State endorsement | Nancy on Norwalk". www.nancyonnorwalk.com. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  16. ^ Breen, Thomas (2022-08-09). "Stephanie Thomas Pops In". New Haven Independent. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  17. ^ "Dem Stephanie Thomas, GOP's Dominic Ripini Win Secretary of the State Races". NBC Connecticut. 2022-08-10. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  18. ^ Golvala, Katy (9 November 2022). "CT Secretary of the State election: Stephanie Thomas wins". CTMirror. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  19. ^ "The Biography of Stephanie Thomas". CT.gov - Connecticut's Official State Website. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  20. ^ "2022 General Election - Secretary of State". Connecticut Secretary of State.
  21. ^ Savitt, Michayla (2024-03-18). "CT Secretary of the State weighs in on election reform bills targeting absentee ballots". Connecticut Public Radio. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  22. ^ Udoma, Ebong (2024-04-09). "CT's Secretary of the State wants to inspire college students to work elections". WSHU. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  23. ^ Asikainen, Izetta; Aponte, Coral (2024-03-14). "Committee Co-Chairs Focusing On Election Workers' Safety, Misinformation From AI". CT News Junkie. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  24. ^ Zbierski, Dalton (2024-09-10). "Office of the Secretary of the State says election security is its top priority". fox61.com. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
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Political offices
Preceded by Secretary of State of Connecticut
2023–present 		Incumbent
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