The Connecticut Supreme Court ruled today the party and not the candidate with the most votes for governor shall dictate the top line in elections. In 2010, Democrat Dan Malloy defeated Republican Tom Foley, but with the help of the Working Families Party line. Party-to-party line Foley received more votes. That means GOP candidates will be on the top line in November. Elections officials had held off printing absentee ballots awaiting the Supreme Court decision. Some political operatives argue the top line could be worth a percentage point or two but there’s no conclusive evidence to support the position. Connecticut Secretary of the State Denise Merrill, a Democrat, maintained the Democrats should have the top line. Oops! From Chris Keating, Hartford Courant:
The Connecticut Supreme Court has ruled unanimously that the Republican Party will be on the top line on November’s ballot.
Attorney Proloy Das, who represented the state GOP in recent oral arguments in front of the court, confirmed the result Wednesday afternoon as word spread quickly around the state Capitol about the 7-0 vote.
As a result, Republicans Mitt Romney, Linda McMahon, Andrew Roraback, and all state legislative candidates will be on the top line of the ballot on November 6.
“We needed a quick decision,” Das told Capitol Watch in a telephone interview. “That’s what’s great about our Supreme Court. They alter their schedules to be fair to all parties.”
While it is unclear exactly what the top line will mean, Republicans and Democrats have been jockeying for any possible advantage in the close elections that are expected. One veteran legislator said that the top line might be worth two percentage points to a candidate, but he conceded that was an unscientific total.
Former chief state’s attorney Austin McGuigan, representing the state Republican Party, addressed the complaints by Democrats that the Republicans were wasting the court’s time by filing a lawsuit.
“I will say,” McGuigan said, “for a frivolous argument, we did OK.”
The court’s order is as follows:
The court responds to the reserved questions and the jurisdictional questions on which it ordered supplemental briefs[1] as follows:
(1) Did the plaintiff, the Republican Party of Connecticut, have an available administrative remedy in the present case? Yes.
(2) If so, did the plaintiff exhaust the administrative remedy? Yes.
(3) Is the complaint barred by sovereign immunity? No.
(4) Does General Statutes § 9-249a require that the Republican Party’s candidates for office be placed on the first line of the ballots for the November 6, 2012 election? Yes.
Just desserts for Denise! Yes? I hope she spends the day in atonement!
The GOP will do anything to steal an election.
*** When all is said and done, it will not make much of a difference in CT, a blue state, no? ***
I saw the first Obama sign today, and to be honest the bottom line is good for Murphy. People look at the bottom line, people will vote Obama and keep going across.
*** English donj, english! And forget about Murph the career surf who’s hoping to finish his jobs plan before the election, maybe? *** LINDA FOR A CHANGE FROM THE USUAL ***
Mojo is once again on the money!
Bridgeport–Generations of Democrat control. Same for Waterbury, Hartford, New Britain, New Haven, CT House, CT Senate.
Are these cities doing well … Is the State doing well?
I went for Dan Malloy after meeting him and believing he was different. Yet he raised taxes by $Billion+, got next to nothing from State unions and he may have to raise taxes again.
That’s it, I’m done with voting for Democrats even though I’ve been one for over 40 years.
Straight Republican from now on–City, State, Federal.
Last time I checked, ever hopeful Mojo was voting Obama Linda Himes Ayala. The only difference in my vote is I’m going for Murphy.