Conn. GOP allege racial insensitivity against Democrats
A social media post from Connecticut Democrats written in the style of a preschool story was called either racially insensitive or straight-up racist Thursday by the head of state Republicans, charging that it could be perceived as portraying a candidate for Congress as a monkey.
Democrats said the Wednesday Twitter post was strictly aimed at questioning George Logan's residency in the 5th Congressional District, where he is challenging second-term U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes.
The post, which includes a picture of Logan, a Black man who is a former state senator, standing in front of a “Don't Tread on Me” Gadsden flag replica from Colonial American, includes the text: “This is George. George doesn't live in the 5th District but wants to represent it in Congress. George's uncle lives in the 5th District. George says he's moved into his uncle's house. But has he? Just run where you live, George. Deceiving voters is no way to start a campaign.”
“If we put that out about Jahana Hayes, we would be called racists,” GOP State Chairman Ben Proto said Thursday afternoon. “At best it's racially insensitive. At worst it's a racist tweet. There are a lot of legitimate political issues they could bring up. But stooping to this level is despicable and has no place in political discourse.”
While the child's classic “Curious George” starts with the same three words — “This is George” — Democrats said the tweet, which was retweeted by Hayes, who is also Black, was in no way hearkening to a book about the mischievous monkey, and that the style was like many books for young readers.
“It doesn't matter how it was meant,” Proto said. “They're clearly attempting to tie the book into the tweet. I'm pretty sure if a Republican posted that about Jahana Hayes, we would be called racially insensitive.”
For a couple days, Democrats stood by a preschool model in the “Dick and Jane” single-syllable style. But shortly before 6 o'clock on Friday night, the tweet was deleted. “However, our post has been misrepresented and is causing offense. For that, we're sorry.”
“Raise your hand if you live in the 5th,” Hayes posted while retweeting the Democratic post late Wednesday afternoon.
“The Connecticut Republicans have no opinion about actual racism in their ranks; about demanding that schools stop teaching the history of slavery, about the murderous violence incited by the persistent discussion of replacement theory,” said Nancy DiNardo, Democratic state chairwoman. “But they are finding racism where there is none. We suggest the CT GOP get online and look up memes with stick people, and that George Logan live in the district where he's running for office.”
Logan, a longtime Ansonia resident, recently moved to Meriden in the 5th District. The Constitution doesn't require members of Congress to live in their districts.
“George lives in and is registered to vote in Meriden, which is part of the 5th District,” said Logan's spokesman Paul Amarone in a late-afternoon email. “This is a desperate and deceiving tweet from the Connecticut Democrats, but it comes as no surprise. Democrats will do everything they can to distract voters from record high inflation, the highest gas prices in our country's history, increase in crime, and a crisis at our border. George will continue to focus on the issues that are hurting our middle class more than ever.”
Asked later about the possible racial overtone, Amarone wrote Thursday night: “For a party that claims to be open and inclusive, this sort of distasteful tweet, which was also retweeted by Jahana Hayes, certainly comes off as racially charged. I won't be deterred from the real issues that are impacting Americans while Democrats and Jahana Hayes play the race card.”
Logan served two twoyear terms and lost his reelection bid in 2020 to Democrat Jorge Cabrera of Hamden.
State Democrats on Friday morning said that the tweet was based on a well-known stick figure name Dick, with simple phasing.
"Connecticut Democrats, using a popular meme featuring Dick and Jane and stick figures, called out George Logan for not living in the 5th Congressional District where he is seeking office,” said the Democrats' statement. “George Logan still does not live in the 5th District.”
By Friday afternoon, however, state Sen. Gary Winfield, D-New Haven, cochairman of the law-writing legislative Judiciary Committee, sided with Proto.
“This is absolutely unacceptable!” Winfield posted on Twitter. “Doesn't matter which party did it. The historical context makes this nothing less than vile. Period. The deflecting in the press release to what the Republicans do and don't do in their ranks only makes it worse.”