Connecticut Republicans hope to end Democrat lock on House

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut Republicans are hoping to unseat at least one of the state’s five incumbent Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday. The Connecticut delegation hasn’t included a GOP member in more than a decade.

The national GOP is enthusiastic about its chances to flip Connecticut’s 5th Congressional District, which includes parts of northwestern and central Connecticut. It’s currently represented by two-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, a former national teacher of the year. Outside groups have spent more than $7 million on the race. Her Republican challenger is former state Sen. George Logan.

At midnight it remained too early to call a winner in the race.

“I’ll wait patiently for however long it takes to count every single vote,” Hayes said Tuesday night.

Ronna McDaniel, chair of the Republican National Committee, has twice visited New Britain, a key city in the district where the RNC this year opened a community center as part of an outreach effort.

Republicans haven’t held a House seat in Connecticut since former U.S. Rep. Chris Shays lost in 2008 to Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, who still holds the seat representing a southwestern part of the state and was re-elected Tuesday.

Hayes is the first Black woman to represent Connecticut in Congress.

Logan, the son of immigrants from Guatemala, is a mechanical engineer and community relations director at a water company. He’s also a guitarist in a Jimi Hendrix tribute band. Despite being labeled as too extreme by Democrats, he has portrayed himself as a social moderate and fiscal conservative.

Logan says he supports abortion rights and opposes a federal ban but backs a parental notification requirement. He has accused Hayes and the Democrats of trying to “scare” voters about what he might do in Congress.

“My opponent and the Democrat leadership insiders repeatedly put out false attack ads about my position,” he said during a recent debate. “I would not support a national ban on abortion. It doesn’t matter to me who in the Congress would want one.”

Hayes has said it’s unlikely Logan would go against Republican House leadership.

“If anyone in this room thinks that the Congressional Leadership Fund is putting millions of dollars into the campaign of someone that they can’t trust will vote for the things that they would like, then you are all sadly mistaken,” Hayes said during the debate.

The national GOP is also targeting Democratic U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, who was first elected to Congress in 2006 to represent the 2nd Congressional District in eastern Connecticut. Courtney has billed himself as someone with a record of effectively working with Democrats and Republicans.

His challenger, Republican state Rep. Mike France, a retired U.S. Navy officer and chair of the General Assembly’s conservative caucus, has described Courtney as presenting himself as a moderate while he’s in the district and consistently voting with the Democrats when he’s in Washington.

“Connecticut Joe Courtney talks but D.C. Joe Courtney votes,” an announcer says in a France TV ad.

Two minor party candidates are also running in the race.

In the 4th Congressional District, Himes won an eighth term. He was being challenged by Republican Jayme Stevenson, an abortion rights supporter who served more than a decade as Darien’s first selectman.

Democratic U.S. Rep. John Larson won his 13th term representing the 1st Congressional District, which spans northern and central parts of the state, including Hartford. He was challenged by Dr. Larry Lazor, who describes himself as a moderate Republican. A minor party candidate is also running.

And Democratic U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro won her 17th term in office in the 3rd Congressional District, which includes areas of southern and central Connecticut. She was challenged by Republican Lesley DiNardis, a college administrator, as well as two minor party candidates.

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