M. Jodi Rell
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| Image:Rell.jpg | |
| Order: | 86th Governor of Connecticut |
| Term of Office: | July 2004 – |
| Predecessor: | John G. Rowland |
| Successor: | Incumbent |
| Date of Birth: | June 16, 1946 |
| Place of Birth: | Norfolk, Virginia |
| First Gentleman: | Lou Rell |
| Profession: | Legislator, Homemaker |
| Political Party: | Republican |
| Lieutenant Governor: |
Kevin Sullivan (2004–present) |
Margaret Jodi Rell (born June 16, 1946) is a Republican politician who became the 86th Governor of Connecticut on July 1, 2004. She had been the Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut until the governor, John G. Rowland, resigned during a corruption investigation. Rell is only the second woman Governor in Connecticut history.
Born in Norfolk, Virginia, Rell attended Old Dominion University and Western Connecticut State University. She received an honorary law doctorate from the University of Hartford in 2001. She moved to Brookfield, Connecticut in 1969. Rell served as a Connecticut State Representative for the 107th District in Brookfield from 1984 until 1994, when she was elected lieutenant governor. She won reelection in 1998 and 2002. Her current term expires in 2006.
Rell is married and has two grown children.
In her first months in office, Rell had enormous approval ratings, with a December '04 Quinnipac poll showing her at 80%, the highest rating ever for a governor in Connecticut. Speculation swirled as to whether or not she would run for a 4-year term in 2006.
On December 27, 2004, Rell underwent treatment after discovering she was in the early stages of breast cancer.
Rell is considered a moderate to liberal Republican governor, which has helped her astronomically high approval ratings. On April 20, 2005 Rell signed into law Connecticut's civil union law, which legalized civil unions for gay couples, but only after the bill was amended to define marriage as between a man and a woman (which was Rell's preference).
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See Also
| Preceded by: Eunice Groark | Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut 1994–2004 | Succeeded by: Kevin Sullivan |
| Preceded by: John Rowland | Governor of Connecticut 2004–present | Succeeded by: — |
Categories: 1946 births | Governors of Connecticut | Members of the Connecticut House of Representatives | People from Connecticut
