BY LIVI STANFORD
CITIZENS NEWS
The latest quarterly filings with the Federal Election Commission show U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-5th district, continuing to outraise her Republican challenger, former state senator George Logan.
Hayes raised approximately $304,540 more than Logan, garnering $1.8 million in the second quarter ending June 30.
After spending, Hayes still had $2 million cash on hand compared to $1 million for Logan.
Hayes, a former city school teacher and administrator is seeking her fourth term. “While Republicans are trying to pour out-of-state money into this race, I am proud that our campaign is powered by overwhelming support from the people of our district making an investment in me,” Hayes said in a statement.
Also commenting on fundraising, Logan said in a statement that the “fundraising continues to reflect the momentum and energy we are feeling throughout the district.
“People are fired up to join the campaign,” Logan said. “People are struggling to make ends meet. They’re concerned about the security of our nation at the border and from threats across the globe. And they want someone in Congress who puts their needs first.”
In November 2022, Logan, a community relations director at Aquarion Water Co., who represented Ansonia in the State Senate between 2016 and 2020, narrowly lost to Hayes, with Hayes squeaking out a victory with 2,004 votes over Logan.
Gary Rose, professor of politics and scholar in residence at Sacred Heart University, says the race remains competitive and both candidates face challenges as they vie for votes in one of the most closely watched race in the country.
Rose said Logan remains competitive in fundraising and that campaign donations outside Connecticut from areas such as Hill Committees in Washington D.C. may help Logan stay competitive. But Rose also did not discount money from the House Finance Committee and Super PACs which he expects will benefit both candidates.
Rose said one of the biggest hurdles Hayes faces is President Joe Biden and his performance in the June 27 debate.
The debate has led to a divided Democratic Party with some calling for Biden to bow out of the race.
“Without a doubt, Joe Biden is something that obviously could impact the campaign,” he said.
In a previous statement, Hayes said that she supported President Biden because of the policies of his administration.
“I saw a horrible debate but I’ve seen three-and-a-half years of effective policy that must continue,” she said. “All day, every day I’ll take an old man over a con man. I’ll take someone who will make sure that we ware caring for people at home and stabilized on the world stage.”
But Logan also has a challenge, Rose said, because he does not have a district staff that has been solving constituent complaints.
He added that Hayes also has an advantage in that she has distributed federal money to the towns in her district. “All candidates use that federal money to their advantage and it generates votes,” he said.
But he also said that Logan has a tremendous advantage that most challengers do not have: name recognition. “He has already run a very competitive campaign,” he said. “He is already a public political figure in the state.”
