Jahana Hayes’ GOP challenger George Logan attacks her over ‘tepid’ support for Israel

Seeking to unseat Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.) after narrowly losing to her in 2022, Republican George Logan is leaning toward support for Israel while calling Hayes inconsistent and unreliable on issues important to the state’s Jewish community.

Connecticut’s 5th Congressional District includes the northwestern part of the state and is the most competitive district in an otherwise deep blue state. It also has a potentially influential Jewish electorate.

Logan, a former state senator, lost to Hayes in 2022 by less than one percentage point. An An Emerson College poll conducted earlier this month showed Hayes up three points, 49-46%. Cook’s Political Report ranks the district as “Lean Democrat.”

Hayes led fundraising for Logan as of the end of September, raising $3.7 million to Logan’s $2.3 million; Hayes had nearly $2 million on hand, while Logan had just $422,000 left.

The district also raised significant funds from outside groups, with the National Republican Congressional Committee spending $703,000 and Americans for Prosperity spending $355,000 to support Logan’s campaign.

Logan describes himself as a strong supporter of Israel, as he stated in an interview with the publication Jewish Insider “by far one of our biggest allies in the world.”

He said Israel has the right to defend itself and destroy terrorists, and that he wants the war in Gaza to end when Hamas is removed from power. “We should all want this war to end, but not at the expense of Israel or the United States,” he said.

Logan also described himself as a supporter of a two-state solution, as long as one state was not run by terrorists bent on destroying Israel. He said the US must tell the Palestinian people that a two-state solution is “on the table” following the “unconditional surrender of Hamas and the removal of its leadership.”

He accused Hayes of “trying to play both sides of the issue” and of being an unreliable friend of Israel. “Now is not the time to be lukewarm in our support for Israel,” Logan said. “Either you are with Israel or you are not. In my opinion, she is not with Israel.”

Hayes has been endorsed by the Jewish Democratic Council of America and J Street, the latter of which called her a “close ally.” AIPAC did not take part in the race. Over the past year, she has taken several positions critical of Israel’s military operations in the Gaza Strip, including the signing some letters calling for a suspension of arms supplies to the Jewish state. She also opposed the adoption of the International Criminal Court sanctions law.

Earlier this year, she voted for additional aid and measures To cut off financing of Iran.

Logan expressed support for more aggressive Israeli measures to retaliate against Iran for its recent ballistic missile attack than the Biden administration was reportedly willing to support, telling JI that attacks on Iran’s oil infrastructure or leadership might be “appropriate.” He said the US should not deter Israel from trying to defend itself.

He added that any attempt to destabilize the Iranian leadership would be a positive step, given the obstacles the regime faces at home.

On the issue of a potential strike on Iran’s nuclear program, Logan said Tehran should not become a nuclear power, but any military action against Iran should be undertaken cautiously.

“As an engineer and as a scientist, I know this has to be done very carefully,” he said. “Should this really be the first blow? Probably not. But I think nothing should be taken off the table… Iran needs to know that everything is already on the table and Israel will respond as it sees fit.”

Logan said he supports tougher sanctions and enforcement to delay Iran’s progress toward nuclear weapons.

To combat anti-Semitism in the United States, Logan said that “we need strong leadership coming from the White House and our members of Congress.”

He said there are members of Congress who he believes are “clearly supporting terrorists in Gaza” and accused Hayes of befriending them. He also mentioned her meeting with members of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in December, weeks after its executive director praised the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.

Logan and his allies attacked Hayes for this meeting in the election campaign.

He blamed members of Congress and the White House for failing to stand up forcefully for Israel and the Jewish community, which he said contributed to and inspired anti-Semitism across the country.

“Students, young people, they see and hear real representatives in Congress supporting terrorists in the Middle East,” Logan said. “We need to replace, through ballot measures, as many anti-Semitic members of Congress as possible.”

Hayes, who sits on the House Education and Labor Committee, which investigates anti-Semitism on college campuses, voted for the Anti-Semitism Act and a resolution describing anti-Zionism as anti-Semitism, but voted against permission calling on the presidents of Harvard and MIT to resign over their administrations’ handling of anti-Semitism.

The conflict in Israel became a point of contention during the debate between Hayes and Logan earlier this month when an anti-Israel protester stormed the stage to interrupt Hayes’ comments.

Hayes said the US “has a responsibility to support our allies, which is Israel, but what that support looks like and how they use it is important.” She accused Logan of failing to acknowledge Palestinian suffering in the war.

Responding to Logan’s attacks, Hayes said she and the United States have a responsibility to oversee how Israel uses American aid following the death of an American World Central Kitchen worker in an Israeli strike earlier this year.

Logan told JI he’s running for the seat because he wants to tackle issues like the economy, inflation and affordability, and border security, which he said have only gotten worse since his last campaign two years ago. He said he hopes his broader name recognition and stronger fundraising this cycle will help him secure victory.

He has taken a moderate stance, touting his bipartisan work as a state senator and saying he will bring that attitude to Washington. Although recent polls show the district’s presidential race close, Logan moving away between him and former President Donald Trump.

Asked about Trump, Logan told JI that his focus is on his district and the campaign and that he “will work in Washington in a bipartisan manner, no matter who wins the presidential race.” He instead accused Hayes of focusing only on the presidential race and not his district.

“I’m voting for the Republican presidential ticket because I don’t believe our country should endure four more years of Bidenomics, open borders and weakness around the world,” Logan said, without mentioning Trump by name. “So I believe that I have succeeded in convincing the people in the constituency that I am focused on the Congress and winning the seat and my opponent wants to talk about something other than her record.”