1998 Connecticut Secretary of the State election

1998 Connecticut Secretary of State election

←  1994 November 3, 1998 2002  →

Nominee Susan Bysiewicz Ben Andrews Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 531,644 358,060 Percentage 59.1% 39.8%

County results Bysiewicz:     50–60%     60–70% Andrews:     50–60%

Secretary of State before election Miles S. Rapoport Democratic Elected Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz Democratic

The 1998 Connecticut Secretary of the State election took place on November 3, 1998, to elect the Secretary of the State of Connecticut. Incumbent Democrat Miles S. Rapoport did not seek re-election to a second term, instead opting to run for the open CT-01 seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Democratic nominee and state representative from the 100th district Susan Bysiewicz defeated Republican nominee Ben Andrews.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Susan Bysiewicz, attorney and state representative from the 100th district (1993–1999) ^[1]

Eliminated in primary

• Ellen Scalettar, state representative from the 114th district (1993–1999) ^[2]

Convention

The Democratic statewide nominating convention was held on July 19, 1998.

The convention was a competitive race between two state representatives, Ellen Scalleter from the 114th district and Susan Bysiewicz from the 100th district. According to NYT, "Ms. Bysiewicz's aides swarmed the convention floor in headsets and sunny yellow T-shirts today, while Ms. Scalletar treated delegates to dessert and breakfast, ran a shuttle bus and decorated the area around the convention with bouquets of lilies and life-size cardboard cutouts of herself." ^[3]

Scaletter won the party's endorsement with 58% of the vote to Bysiewicz's 42%. Bysiewicz pledged to her supporters that she would continue her campaign into the primary race in September. After the convention, Scaletter met with Bysiewicz but failed to convince her to avoid a potentially expensive primary race. ^[3]

Results

The Democratic primary was held on September 18, 1998. Susan Bysiewicz narrowly defeated sate party-endorsed Ellen Scaletter in an upset. ^[4]

Democratic primary results ^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Susan Bysiewicz	51,435	51.91%
	Democratic	Ellen Scaletter *	47,652	48.09%
Total votes			99,087	100.0%

* Indicates party endorsement

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Ben Andrews, former president of the Connecticut chapter of the NAACP and candidate for state representative from the 1st district in 1978 ^[6]

Third-party candidates and independent candidates

Libertarian Party

Nominee

• Kenneth F. Mosher

Write-in candidates

• Abraham 'Abe' Ziskis

General election

Results

1998 Connecticut Secretary of the State election ^[7]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Susan Bysiewicz	531,644	59.10%
	Republican	Ben Andrews	358,060	39.80%
	Libertarian	Kenneth F. Mosher	9,920	1.10%
	Write-in	Abraham 'Abe' Ziskis	10	0.00%
Total votes			899,634	100.0%
	Democratic hold

By congressional district

Bysiewicz won all 6 congressional districts. ^[7]

District	Bysiewicz	Andrews	Representative
1st	68%	31%	Barbara B. Kennelly (D)
2nd	64%	35%	Sam Gejdenson (D)
3rd	62%	37%	Rosa DeLauro (D)
4th	50%	49%	Christopher Shays (R)
5th	51%	48%	James H. Maloney (D)
6th	58%	41%	Nancy Johnson (R)

Aftermath

In October 2003 former Republican nominee Ben Andrews was convicted following a corruption trial. The investigation determined that he had bribed former state treasurer, Paul J. Silvester, by directing $750,000 of a $1.5 million consulting fee in exchange for Silvester's investment of $150 million in pension money in a private equity fund, Landmark Partners, based in Simsbury. ^{[8] [9]}

Andrews was also convicted of lying to federal agents and of conspiracy to launder money. He continued to maintain his innocence up until his sentencing to 30 months in federal prison in 2005. He began his sentence in 2007 and was released in 2009. ^[10]

References

1. Connecticut Secretary of the State. "Candidate: Susan Bysiewicz - Election Results Archive". electionhistory.ct.gov. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
2. Connecticut Secretary of the State. "Candidate: Ellen Scalettar - Election Results Archive". electionhistory.ct.gov. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
3. Allen, Mike (July 19, 1998). "Party Is Torn On Race Issue In Connecticut". The New York Times . Retrieved March 28, 2024.
4. Allen, Mike (September 16, 1998). "THE 1998 CAMPAIGN: CONNECTICUT; Nominee for Treasurer Adds Diversity to the Democratic Slate". The New York Times . Retrieved March 28, 2024.
5. Connecticut Secretary of the State. "RESULTS OF PRIMARIES STATE OFFICES & THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY SEPTEMBER 15TH, 1998". portal.ct.gov. Archived from the original on March 29, 2024. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
6. Connecticut Secretary of the State. "Candidate: Ben F. Andrews Jr. - Election Results Archive". electionhistory.ct.gov. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
7. Connecticut Secretary of the State. "1998 Statement of the Vote" (PDF). portal.ct.gov. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
8. "Andrews on stand all day in corruption trial". New Haven Register . Associated Press. October 24, 2003. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
9. Stowe, Stacey (May 3, 2005). "Another Figure in Connecticut Bribery Scandal Is Sentenced". The New York Times . Retrieved March 28, 2024.
10. "Former Conn. NAACP leader released from prison". newstimes.com. The Associated Press. August 31, 2009. Retrieved March 28, 2024.