The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Tweet prompts call to end run
State GOP leaders criticize Hyde
Political leaders in Connecticut on Tuesday harshly criticized a candidate for Congress whose Twitter rant used sexually explicit terms to describe Democratic U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris of California.
House Minority Leader Themis Klarides and Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano both called for Robert F. Hyde, a large contributor to national Republican campaigns and President Donald Trump, to end his candidacy for the nomination to challenge 5th District U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes.
“It came to my attention today and if it’s true he needs to end his bid for Congress,” Klarides, of
Derby, said in a phone interview. On Dec. 3, Hyde tweeted a sexually explicit description of Harris after she withdrew her presidential bid. “Connecticut Republicans won’t tolerate this from any elected official or candidate.”
While the brief, threesentence tweet — which Hearst Connecticut Media Group has decided not to publish because of its offensive content — was deleted from Twitter, it sparked opposition from both Republicans and Democrats.
“This type of behavior and these words are flatout disgusting and morally reprehensible,” said Fasano, of North Haven. “I am calling on Mr. Hyde to step down as a candidate for office. His comments are beyond disgraceful and offensive and his actions are not representative of the Republican Party at all. He needs to remove himself as a candidate immediately. This is unacceptable behavior for anyone, let alone someone who is seeking to represent our state in Congress.”
“There is no question the comments are inappropriate,” said J.R. Romano, state GOP chairman. “They don’t have any place. It distracts away from what Republicans have done in the state. It’s wrong.”
Nancy Wyman, the former lieutenant governor who now is chairman of state Democrats, said Hyde is not worthy of elected office.
"Robert Hyde’s social media
comment about the Senator Harris’ decision to end her political campaign is simply disgusting,” Wyman said. “And the fact that it was made by a Republican candidate for Congress and
remained on line until today is even more concerning. This kind of insulting commentary, as well as others on his Twitter feed, has no place in any public discourse and any candidate who engages in it has no business seeking elective office.
"On behalf of every
woman in Connecticut, I’m calling on the Republican State Chairman to not just condemn the social media posting, but to end Mr. Hyde’s congressional bid."
As a GOP fundraiser, Hyde, of Simsbury, has enjoyed some proximity to powerful Republicans, including Trump. During the 2016 campaign, Hyde, 39, contributed more than $23,000 to Trump, followed by another $25,000 for the inauguration.
Hyde did not immediately return a request for comment.