Rep. John P. Santanella, D-Enfield, defeated challenger Thomas Tyler on Tuesday in the special Democratic primary ordered by the state Supreme Court to rectify an error by the secretary of the state’s office.
Unofficial results showed Santanella winning the Democratic primary with 83% of the vote, making him a favorite to win a second term in November representing the 58th House District. He was elected in 2024 with 57% of the vote.
Tyler successfully petitioned to force a primary, but Santanella filed suit, complaining that the registrar of voters, Beth Jerez, had issued Tyler the petition forms four days too early under the law and that the signatures should be disallowed.
Superior Court Judge Stuart Rosen concluded that Tyler had not qualified for a primary, though he suggested the fault lay with the secretary of the state’s office, not the registrar.
Whether or not there was an error in issuing the forms too early, two lawyers for the secretary of the state told Jerez she had no choice under the law than to certify the validity of the submitted signatures.
“The SOTS attorneys acknowledged to Jerez that the SOTS training and calendar contained erroneous information and that registrars had not been timely notified of calendar revisions,” Rosen wrote.
The Supreme Court reversed Rosen on July 30 and ordered a special primary, given that the litigation had given the candidates little time to campaign in advance of the regular primary on Aug. 11.
