US presidential election 2024: The question of whether Donald Trump will be mentioned by name or not will be an issue in the debate in the Connecticut House of Representatives

Former President Donald Trump’s The name was mentioned several times during a debate Wednesday night in Connecticut’s high-profile 5th Congressional District race.

But it was only the Democrat, U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, who said it.

Her Republican opponent, former state Sen. George Logan, who has tried to portray himself as a moderate, independent candidate in this recall election starting in 2022, would say only that he supports the top of the GOP ticket and is more focused on helping residents is considered the most politically diverse district in blue Connecticut.

“I have said over and over again that I will work with whoever will win the White House after November 5thand I stand by that,” he told reporters after the televised duel. “They’re playing games, I think. They want to do this whole political thing and I just won’t let them. I made it clear who I was voting for.”

But Hayes accused Logan, whom she defeated by 2,000 votes two years ago, of trying to thread the needle in a purple district and not telling voters what he really thinks on issues.

“I think the non-answer speaks louder than the answer,” Hayes said during the debate.

“When he’s in a room with MAGA supporters, he tells them to turn off their phones. I will vote for this one. I support Donald Trump. If he’s in a more moderate part of the district or a Democratic part of the district, he refuses to say that,” she told reporters afterward. “So, I guess the Logan you get depends on the room it’s in.”

If Logan wins, he would be the first Republican member of Connecticut’s current all-Democratic congressional delegation since former GOP Rep. Chris Shays, a moderate Republican who lost the state’s 4th Congressional District seat in 2008 to Democratic Rep. Jim Himes, now is running for a ninth term.

The 5th District race is considered the most competitive of the state’s five congressional contests.

Hayes, a former National Teacher of the Year, first took office in 2019.

During the debate, she praised her efforts to help everyone from farmers to people struggling to find affordable housing, noting her votes for raising the minimum wage and lowering prescription drug prices.

While she acknowledged that pocketbook issues are still important to voters in this year’s election, Hayes pointed to the country’s low unemployment rate and that the U.S. has recovered better than other countries from the pandemic.

Logan accused Hayes of not doing enough to help people struggling to pay for groceries, gas and rent, and he repeatedly accused Hayes of being a rubber stamp for the White House.

He said she almost always votes with national Democrats – a claim she later denied – while he promised to support legislation that was best for the district regardless of which party proposed it.

“My opponent cannot imagine an independent voice in Washington,” Logan said.

This year’s race for the 5th District, which covers much of northwestern Connecticut, is reminiscent of 2022, when Logan repeatedly linked Hayes to President Joe Biden and then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, accusing her of being deaf to the impact of inflation on voters.

The race attracted millions of dollars in outside money, with national Republicans seeing an opportunity to break Democrats’ lock on the state’s congressional delegation.

This year, both national party campaign committees have refocused on the race, running ads on national television.

As in 2022, Hayes has accused Logan of being someone who cannot be trusted when it comes to abortion, despite Logan claiming he supports abortion rights.

However, the war in the Gaza Strip was not an issue two years ago. During Wednesday’s debate, which was broadcast live on national television, a pro-Palestinian protester suddenly jumped onto the stage in the middle of the debate and shouted “Liberate Palestine” before being escorted away by security.