NEW BRITAIN, Conn. — With 34 days before the election, Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to New Britain on Wednesday to show her support for the most controversial issue in the divisive campaign — abortion rights.
Harris appeared on stage for a roundtable discussion in a small theater with U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, a Democrat who is locked in a tight battle with Republican George Logan in the 5th Congressional District. Politico now rates the race as a “toss up’' in Connecticut’s closest Congressional contest of the campaign season.
“This is not a political event, but it is a fact that in 34 days there is a midterm coming up,’' Harris told the crowd. “The facts must be spoken.’'
At another point, Harris looked at Hayes and told the crowd : “Please send her back to Congress.’'
Toward the end of the roundtable discussion, Harris delivered a statement that drew some of the most applause of the day.
“One does not have to abandon their faith or their beliefs to agree that the government should not be making that decision for her,’' Harris said.
Harris spoke at Central Connecticut State University in front of a live audience with Hayes and Alexis McGill Johnson, who earned a master’s degree in political science from Yale University and has taught at both Yale and Wesleyan University in Middletown. They spoke for about 35 minutes in the theater, where attendees had their bags searched by the U.S. Secret Service and dogs under tight security.
The event was livestreamed.
Abortion has been a major issue in the battle between Hayes and Republican George Logan, a former state senator who supporters believe is the party’s best candidate in the 5th Congressional District since then-state Sen. Andrew Roraback in 2012. Democrats have won every election in the district, which stretches from Simsbury to Danbury to the Massachusetts border, starting in 2006 with an upset victory by Democrat Chris Murphy.
Even though Harris is supporting a fellow Democrat in the midst of the campaign, the vice president’s office said she was making an official trip, not a campaign appearance. Hayes told reporters after the event that she could have held a fundraiser with the vice president, but Hayes declined and instead chose to talk about abortion at the university.
Before Harris arrived Wednesday, Logan and state Republican Chairman Ben Proto held a conference call with reporters to blast both Harris and Hayes. During 17 minutes of opening remarks, the two Republicans never mentioned abortion and instead focused on issues such as the opioid epidemic, violent crime, low personal income growth, public education, and unsecure borders. They addressed abortion after it was raised by reporters.
“All they’ve done is lie about my record,’' Logan told reporters. “They have refused to acknowledge my record of consistently supporting a woman’s right to choose. Instead, they use lies and scare tactics to distract from reality because they are desperate. ... Vice President Harris isn’t coming to Connecticut because Congresswoman Hayes is doing such a good job. No. They’re desperate.’'
Logan added, “I believe in parental consent. Congresswoman Hayes does not believe in parental consent.’'
Proto said Harris was “trying to bolster a failing campaign’' and “trying to fear-monger on an issue that really isn’t an issue in Connecticut.’'
“This is their shiny object to try to distract people,’' Proto told reporters. “The October surprise is coming’' when families see their quarterly 401(k) statements for the third quarter that ended on Sept. 30.
“Kamala Harris has nothing to talk about. They need to find something to talk about,’' Proto said.
Hayes and Harris have forged a strong alliance since Hayes became the first member of the Connecticut Congressional delegation to endorse Harris for president in July 2019. Many other Democrats, including Gov. Ned Lamont, endorsed Democrat Joe Biden, who was running against Harris at the time. Harris dropped out of the presidential race in December 2019 with low poll ratings as supporters said she had trouble raising campaign money. Biden chose Harris as his running mate in August 2020.
In a recent interview, Logan said, “I believe in a woman’s right to choose. I am not extreme in my point of view when it comes to parental notification or a woman’s right to choose.”
Television commercials that criticize Logan have been broadcast by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, rather than directly by the Hayes campaign. But Logan says he sees no difference.
Hayes, though, said she has had no involvement with the DCCC, which is a separate, third-party organization that is separate from Hayes.
New Britain is a crucially important city for each candidate in a tight race. Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel traveled to New Britain recently for the second time in six months to rally the troops and echo Logan’s message in reaching out to minority voters.
Harris landed at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks at 11:11 a.m. Eastern time Wednesday and was greeted by Hayes, Gov. Ned Lamont, and Lamont’s wife, Annie, among others. She was also greeted by U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona of Meriden, who previously served as state education commissioner under Lamont.
Harris also spoke Tuesday at a special task force on abortion that was created by Biden after the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on abortion.
“The Dobbs decision created a health care crisis in America,’' Harris said in remarks released by the White House. “And this task force was convened by the president of the United States to address this crisis in a way that we would approach it from an all-of-government, hands-on approach to address what we have the ability to do to ensure that the women of America receive all the protections they are due under law and that our administration, through our agencies, can provide to assist them to have access to the care they need and deserve.
“We believe, and I certainly believe, that a woman should have the freedom to make decisions about her own body and that her government should not be making those decisions for her,’' Harris said. “We believe that if she chooses, she, of course, will and can consult with her physician, with her loved ones, with her faith leader.
Harris continued, “One does not have to abandon their faith or beliefs to agree that the government should not be making these decisions for the women of America.’'
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