Working Families "Balance of Power" in 2010 Connecticut Gubernatorial Race was a First for Important Office Since 1994

As has already been reported, the 2010 Connecticut gubernatorial race is an instance at which a minor party, by having nominated one of the major party nominees, seems to have changed the identity of the winner.  The official Connecticut gubernatorial vote in 2010 is:  Republican Tom Foley 560,874 votes; Democrat Dan Malloy, 540,970 votes on the Democratic line and 26,308 votes on the Working Families Party line (there were also 17,629 votes for the Independent Party nominee, Thomas Marsh).  Malloy’s victory margin of 6,404 votes is smaller than the number of votes Malloy received on the Working Families line.

This is the first time that a minor party, engaged in cross-nomination of a major party nominee, seems to have tipped the outcome in any gubernatorial or U.S. Senate race, anywhere in the country, since the New York 1994 gubernatorial election.  In that 1994 election, Republican nominee George Pataki only received 2,156,057 votes on the Republican line, a smaller number than the number of votes for Mario Cuomo on the Democratic line, 2,272,903.  But the Conservative Party’s nomination of Pataki, which gave him another 328,605 votes, put Pataki over the top.  Cuomo had the nomination of the Liberal Party, and Pataki also had the nomination of the Tax Cut Now Party, but the vote total for those two parties was relatively small and did not affect the identity of the winner.

Working Families “Balance of Power” in 2010 Connecticut Gubernatorial Race was a First for Important Office Since 1994

As has already been reported, the 2010 Connecticut gubernatorial race is an instance at which a minor party, by having nominated one of the major party nominees, seems to have changed the identity of the winner.  The official Connecticut gubernatorial vote in 2010 is:  Republican Tom Foley 560,874 votes; Democrat Dan Malloy, 540,970 votes on the Democratic line and 26,308 votes on the Working Families Party line (there were also 17,629 votes for the Independent Party nominee, Thomas Marsh).  Malloy’s victory margin of 6,404 votes is smaller than the number of votes Malloy received on the Working Families line.

This is the first time that a minor party, engaged in cross-nomination of a major party nominee, seems to have tipped the outcome in any gubernatorial or U.S. Senate race, anywhere in the country, since the New York 1994 gubernatorial election.  In that 1994 election, Republican nominee George Pataki only received 2,156,057 votes on the Republican line, a smaller number than the number of votes for Mario Cuomo on the Democratic line, 2,272,903.  But the Conservative Party’s nomination of Pataki, which gave him another 328,605 votes, put Pataki over the top.  Cuomo had the nomination of the Liberal Party, and Pataki also had the nomination of the Tax Cut Now Party, but the vote total for those two parties was relatively small and did not affect the identity of the winner.

November Ballot Access News (Print Edition)

November 1, 2010 – Volume 26, Number 6

This issue was originally printed on white paper.


Table of Contents

  1. RECORD NUMBER OF STATES WITH INCLUSIVE TELEVISED DEBATES FOR GOVERNOR, U.S. SENATOR
  2. US HOUSE PASSES BILL RESTRICTING SECRETARIES OF STATE
  3. WASHINGTON TRIAL ON “TOP-TWO” STARTS NOVEMBER 15
  4. HOPE FOR CIRCULATOR RESIDENCY LAWSUITS
  5. EARLY ESTIMATES OF U.S. HOUSE REAPPORTIONMENT
  6. CALIFORNIA TOP-TWO PROPONENT CHANGES HIS MIND ON LABELS
  7. MARYLAND VICTORY
  8. MORE LAWSUIT NEWS
  9. 2010 DEBATES
  10. VOTE TESTS FOR POLITICAL PARTY STATUS IN 2010
  11. 82% OF VOTERS WILL SEE LIBERTARIAN ON BALLOT
  12. GREEN PARTY NOMINEE FOR CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR ARRESTED FOR TRYING TO SIT IN DEBATE AUDIENCE
  13. COMMISSION ON PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES ENSHRINED IN FEDERAL LAW
  14. NORTH CAROLINA INSTANT RUNOFF VOTE FOR STATEWIDE JUDGE RACE
  15. MASSACHUSETTS REPUBLICANS NOMINATE BY WRITE-IN VOTES
  16. SUBSCRIBING TO BAN WITH PAYPAL

California Bill to Increase Number of Signatures for Statutory Initiatives by 60%

On December 10, California Assemblymember Mike Gatto introduced ACA 11, to increase the number of signatures for statutory initiatives from 5% of the last gubernatorial vote, to 8%.  Existing law requires initiatives that change a statute to collect 515,117 valid signatures.  The bill, if enacted, would raise this to 824,186 signatures.

Even if the legislature passes the bill, it is a proposed constitutional amendment and thus would not go into effect unless the voters approved it.