1970 Connecticut Attorney General election

1970 Connecticut Attorney General election

←  1966 November 3, 1970 1974  →

Nominee Robert K. Killian Donald T. Dorsey Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 529,898 528,135 Percentage 50.1% 49.9%

County results Municipality results Killian:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80% Dorsey:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%

Attorney General before election Robert K. Killian Democratic Elected Attorney General Robert K. Killian Democratic

The 1970 Connecticut Attorney General election took place on November 3, 1970, to elect the Attorney General of Connecticut. Incumbent Democratic Attorney General Robert K. Killian was appointed to the office by Governor John N. Dempsey in 1967 to fill the vacancy left by Harold M. Mulvey, who resigned a year into his term to accept an appointment to the Connecticut Superior Court. ^[1]

Killian was elected to a full term in his own right, defeating Republican nominee Donald T. Dorsey by 1,763 votes, a margin of just 0.17%. As of 2025, this was the last time the Attorney General of Connecticut was elected by less than a 5-point margin.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Robert K. Killian, incumbent attorney general (1967–1975) ^[2]

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Donald T. Dorsey, candidate for state representative from the 78th district in 1966 ^[3]

General election

Results

1970 Connecticut Attorney General election ^[4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Robert K. Killian (incumbent)	529,898	50.08%
	Republican	Donald T. Dorsey	528,135	49.91%
	Write-in	Write-ins	36	0.00%	N/A
Total votes			1,058,069	100.0%
	Democratic hold

See also

• Connecticut Attorney General

References

1. MacFarquhar, Neil (March 1, 2000). "Harold M. Mulvey, 86, Judge At Tense Black Panther Trials". New York Times . Retrieved February 22, 2024.
2. "Candidate: Robert K. Killian - Election Results Archive" . Retrieved February 22, 2024.
3. "Candidate: Donald T. Dorsey - Election Results Archive". electionhistory.ct.gov. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
4. "1970 Attorney General General Election Results - Connecticut". uselectionatlas.org. Dave Leip's Atlas.