MERIDEN — Republican nominee for U.S. representative George Logan is leasing a home on the city’s east side.
Logan’s new Meriden address places him in the 5th Congressional District, where the former two-term state senator from Ansonia is mounting a challenge against Democratic incumbent Rep. Jahana Hayes of Waterbury.
Logan won the Republican nomination during last weekend’s state party convention.
The 53-year-old, whose parents immigrated to the United States from Guatemala, grew up in New Haven, where he said he learned the value of giving back to the community from the volunteers and counselors at various after-school programs in the inner city. He describes himself as a fiscal conservative and social moderate.
Logan lived in Ansonia, in the state’s 3rd congressional district, for 20 years with his wife Lisa and their two children, but recently rented a home on Cartpath Drive in Meriden. Logan and his wife have moved to the Meriden house while maintaining their other properties, according to the campaign.
His two terms in the state Senate were from the 17th district, which covers Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Bethany, Derby, Hamden, Naugatuck and Woodbridge. The seat had been held by a Democrat for 23 years. After serving four years, Logan lost a tight race in 2020.
While a state senator, Logan voted against raising the minimum wage, the creation of a paid family and medical leave program and a police accountability law passed in response to the murder of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis. He rejects the idea of eliminating qualified immunity for officers and diverting police resources to other services.
“Police need more resources not less,” Logan said. “Our open borders are problematic. The opioid pandemic is worse. We need to secure our southern border and fix our immigration system. It’s important that working people should have a path to citizenship. Things like fentanyl, the majority is coming from the south. Coming from China and going through ports of Mexico.”
A January tweet by the National Republican Congressional Committee stated that large fetanyl seizures prove a Biden administration “open border” policy. The tweet was rated “mostly false” by Politifact. There is no open border policy between the U.S. and Mexico and fetanyl seizures began climbing in 2016 under Trump.
“The notion of an ‘open border’ under Biden is inaccurate. While there has been a record surge of migrants at the border since Biden took office, the majority of those encountered by border agents are expelled, including by the continued use of a public health order put into place by Trump,” Politifact wrote.
Passing a bipartisan budget and imposing spending and borrowing caps while paying down state debt in 2017 were among Logan’s proudest legislative achievements, he said.
“I want to see more tax relief for our residents,” Logan said. “The pandemic gave us some extraordinary challenges. We went overboard with the stimulus packages.”
Logan said that while he supported assistance to small businesses, the stimulus process was painfully long and cumbersome.
Logan also had sharp criticism of his opponent, who he said follows a progressive socialist agenda in lockstep with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
“She leans toward socialist progressives,” Logan said. “Most voters in the district lean toward the conservative side. She doesn’t speak up much in Washington. You don’t hear her leading the charge. She hasn’t done enough to be a voice in the district. I want to put moderate and conservative voters on the map.”
Logan, who hopes to put the residency question raised by Democrats early in his campaign to rest, claims Hayes hasn’t been visible enough in the district.
Hayes campaign manager Barbara Ellis rebuked that notion.
“Congresswoman Hayes has voted overwhelmingly for the issues her constituents care about,” Ellis said. “Things like the American Rescue Plan, infrastructure, Restaurant Revitalization Funds, child tax credits, the Women’s Health Protection act, support for Ukraine and so much more.”
Ellis added Hayes has had multiple pieces of her own legislation passed as part of larger bills. The text of her Clean School Bus Act was included as part of the infrastructure bill; the text of her Save Education Jobs Act was included as part of the American Rescue Plan Act; and she has had amendments included in legislation increasing benefits for veterans and expanding mental health services. The legislation was signed into law by both President Trump and President Biden, Ellis said.
As chairwoman of the Nutrition Oversight and Department Operations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Hayes introduced legislation to address hunger among veterans and secured funding for a White House Conference on Hunger. She brought millions of dollars directly back to the district for police, fire, schools, small businesses, conservation and community programs, Ellis continued.
Logan believes President Biden was legitimately elected, but said if people want to research voting irregularities to uncover flaws in the 2020 elections, he encourages them to do so.
He also believes the select Jan.6 Committee made up of House members to investigate the attack on the U.S. Capitol is a “political body” led by Pelosi. He said all those who committed crimes should be prosecuted, but any investigation should be led by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Logan released a response Wednesday to the Roe v. Wade leaked draft opinion.
“I support a woman’s right to choose,” he said in an email. “In Connecticut, a woman’s right to choose has been codified in state law. If Roe v. Wade were to be overturned, it would become a state issue brought to the attention of the state legislature.”
The Republican National Committee has taken an active interest in the race and pays for and staffs a community outreach center in New Britain. The National Republican Congressional Committee has also run multiple digital ads throughout the district.
As of April 19, Hayes had raised $1.2 million to Logan’s $373,000. A second GOP contender Michelle Botelho of Danbury raised $5,909.
Reporter Mary Ellen Godin can be reached at mgodin@record-journal.com.