Poll: Connecticut Democrat Jahana Hayes Falls Behind Republican Challenger George Logan

Republican George Logan has pulled ahead of Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-CT) in a competitive congressional race in the Democrat stronghold of Connecticut, according to a poll published Thursday.

The poll, conducted by Emerson College, WTNH, and the Hill, found Logan one point ahead of Hayes, 48 percent to 47 percent, while four percent of respondents said they were undecided.

The poll was taken October 19 to October 21 among 500 very likely general election voters and provides the first public indication since the primary of how the race could land on election day.

Logan, an engineer and former state senator, has taken on a centrist tone as he campaigns in Connecticut, a deeply blue state where the entire congressional delegation has been Democrat for well over ten years.

National Republicans have from the outset of the election cycle targeted the Fifth District as a flip opportunity, and the election analyst outlet Cook Political Report changed its rating of the district from “lean D” to “toss-up” on Tuesday.

Cook also rates the district, which is located in the northwestern region of the state, as the most competitive of the state’s five.

Logan shared the results of the poll on social media, warning, “We need to keep the pedal to the metal for the next 13 days!”

The poll found that the economy was far and away the most important issue to voters. Forty-six percent of respondents said, “the economy (jobs, inflation, taxes)” was their top issue, while 16 percent said their top issue was abortion access and 14 percent said their top issue was “threats to democracy.” All other issues landed in the single digits.

Logan highlights fighting inflation as his top agenda item on his campaign website, vowing he will “oppose massive spending packages that lead to out-of-control inflation, which is hurting our families, seniors, and veterans.”

A majority of the poll’s respondents, 51 percent, said they thought Connecticut was headed down the wrong track, while 49 percent said they felt the state was headed in the right direction.

Thirty-seven percent of the poll’s respondents were registered independents, and the crosstabs show that Logan bests Hayes among those voters by 16 points, 53 percent to 38 percent.

The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.3 percentage points.