HARTFORD, Conn. — One of the closest races in Connecticut is U.S. House representative for the 5th Congressional District.
The 5th District has seen both Democrat and Republican representatives in the past. The seat previously held by now U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, saw Republican Nancy Johnson representing the district at first.
Experts say this election between incumbent U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-Connecticut) and Republican challenger George Logan could be decided by a very slim margin.
“It's really the last congressional district that you could call a swing district in Connecticut, and no surprise, it's a competitive race,” said Scott Mclean, professor of political science at Quinnipiac University.
Right now Hayes is viewed as the most vulnerable of Connecticut's five U.S. House representatives, with two election forecasts describing this race as a “toss-up.”
“The best issue for Democrats is abortion and abortion rights,” McLean said. “Right now, that's not the easiest issue for the Democrats to use in the 5th District.”
Last week, Vice President Kamala Harris visited Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) for a discussion about reproductive rights.
Hayes claims this visit was not campaign business, but others see it differently.
“When the vice president comes to your district to have a conference on reproductive rights, it's about the election,” said McLean. “You could call it whatever you want, but it is about the election.”
McLean says this visit could help energize Democrat voters, but in a race where both candidates label themselves pro-choice, abortion rights might not be the ace Democrats need.
“This issue is real and important for so many in our state,” said Hayes, speaking to the crowd at CCSU last week. “The rights of the people here in Connecticut could be at risk.”
“We've got the vice president and Congresswoman Jahana Hayes doing a bunch of grandstanding and fear mongering,” Logan argued.
McLean says when it comes to abortion in the post-Roe world, the issue now isn’t just branding a candidate pro-life or pro-choice.
“There will be bills in the next Congress about abortion rights in this country and whoever represents the 5th District will have a chance to vote on that policy,” he said. “Connecticut's 5th District could be a critical vote.”
Last week, Logan said if elected he would not support a federal abortion ban, but analysts say the real question is whether candidates would vote "yes" to codifying Roe v. Wade into federal law.
Logan says he supports a woman’s right to choose but with restrictions, which could make that answer trickier.
Emma Wulfhorst is a political reporter for FOX61 News. She can be reached at ewulfhorst@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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