Logan concedes to Hayes following delay in results
2022Republican George Logan conceded to U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-5 on Thursday in the tightly contested race to represent Connecticut’s 5th Congressional District.
Hayes declared victory Wednesday night after the Secretary of the State’s office announced she had won by 1,842 votes, enough to avoid a recount.
At a news conference Thursday morning, Logan said his team had “concerns about the counting and reporting of the votes” but concluded that any issues would not change the result of the election and the campaign had no legal recourse to force a recount. He said he had already called Hayes to congratulate her.
“The time has come for this campaign to end and for all of us to come together and work toward a brighter future for our state and our nation,” Logan said. “I am committed to continuing the work to make that happen.”
After speaking for about 51⁄2minutes, Logan declined to take questions from reporters.
The Fifth District was by far the closest of Connecticut’s congressional races, with Hayes winning 50.4 percent of the vote, compared to 49.6 percent for Logan. Results were delayed slightly due to an issue tabulating votes in the northwestern Connecticut town of Salisbury, which eventually swung toward Hayes by a wide enough margin to secure her victory.
“I had to work twice as hard and really fight to hold this seat,” Hayes told reporters Wednesday night. “And at the end of the day, I think that was the message that resonated with the people in my community, that I’m one of them and I’m going to continue to fight for them.”
Hayes’s campaign focused heavily on abortion rights, as well as the legislative achievements of the state’s Democratic congressional majority. Logan focused on the economy and inflation, as well as what he saw as a need to confront crime.