Former Republican state Sen. George Logan is expected to kick off a second campaign to unseat Democratic U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes on Monday when he will make a “special announcement” from a press conference in Watertown.
Logan, a community relations director at Aquarion Water Company who represented Ansonia in the state Senate between 2016 and 2020, lost a tight race to the three-term congresswoman last year in the state’s 5th Congressional District, considered to be Connecticut’s most competitive district.
“It’s official. I’m making a BIG announcement in just 5 days and want you to be there to hear it!” Logan posted Wednesday on the social media site formerly known as Twitter. The post included an image including the disclaimer “Paid for by George Logan for Congress.”
That committee had about $8,876 on hand at the end of June, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission. Another committee, Logan for CT-05, paid around $1,300 for compliance consulting in April, according to the FEC. Hayes, meanwhile, had $621,565 on hand at the end of June.
Hayes, a former Waterbury educator and 2016 recipient of the Teacher of the Year award, has represented the district since 2019.
Logan’s 2,004-vote loss to Hayes in 2022 represents the closest Republicans have come to winning the district since now-Sen. Chris Murphy defeated Republican former Rep. Nancy Johnson in 2006. Three years ago, Hayes defeated her Republican opponent David X. Sullivan by more than 40,000 votes.
The Hayes and Logan campaigns did not immediately return requests for comment Friday morning.
Last year’s 5th District race both drew attention and funding from outside of Connecticut. National Republicans and associated spending committees flooded airwaves with ads attacking Hayes while Democratic groups seeking to retain the seat funded attacks on Logan.
Though some considered the race a bellwether for control of Congress, Hayes pulled off a narrow victory, cementing a winning election cycle for Connecticut Democrats while national Republicans succeeded in securing control of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Logan plans to gather supporters for his announcement at 5:30 p.m. on Monday at the American Legion in Watertown.
