In the ongoing political saga of the race for attorney general, Connecticut’s current Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said Tuesday that he still has not received a formal request from Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz regarding her qualifications to run for the office.
However, he did reveal that there will be a question of standing on the request once it’s submitted.
“If she is submitting it as a candidate…we may lack authority to provide a formal opinion,” Blumenthal said. On the flip side, if she submits it in her capacity as Secretary of the State, Blumenthal will have to consider the request.
Connecticut General Statute 3-125 authorizes the Attorney General to issue formal opinions to leaders of the General Assembly and the heads of any state agency, state board or commission. As a candidate Bysiewicz may not have the ability to ask for an opinion.
Bysiewicz campaign spokeswoman Tanya Meck said she will be submitting a formal request to Blumenthal as the Secretary of the State because the question will impact more than just Bysiewicz’s candidacy. The request is expected to be made in the next day.
The controversy started last week when lawyer and blogger Ryan McKeen asked whether Bysiewicz met the 10 years “active practice” provision required to qualify for attorney general.
Some have argued that Bysiewcz doesn’t even need to be a lawyer to run for the office. Journal Inquirer’s Managing Editor Chris Powell wrote an editorial this week saying “Connecticut’s Constitution guarantees the voters the right to elect whomever they want, subject only to his having turned 18 and taken the voter’s oath.”
But Bysiewicz’s campaign is focusing its question on whether she meets the 10 years of “active practice” requirement.
