- The Washington Times - Wednesday, October 23, 2024

A Connecticut House Democrat is under scrutiny for spending thousands of campaign dollars on lavish trips to Martha’s Vineyard and in Chicago during the Democratic National Convention while her constituents were recovering from August’s deadly floods.

Rep. Jahana Hayes, a three-term lawmaker in a tight reelection battle, spent about $13,000, Federal Election Commission filings show, when she traveled to the Massachusetts resort and the Democratic National Committee’s convention while the storm ravaged her home state on Aug. 18.

The storm caused over $206 million in damage to roads, businesses and homes from flooding, mudslides and landslides, killing at least two and requiring more than 100 to be evacuated by search and rescue teams.

Gov. Ned Lamont declared a state of emergency, and another Democrat, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, described the damage as a “gushing torrent of destruction.”

The Washington Times reached out to the Hayes campaign for comment.

During that time, Ms. Hayes spent $6,384.91 at Chicago’s luxurious Sheraton Grand while attending the DNC Convention, federal records show.

The Connecticut congresswoman sent out a video posted to Facebook on Aug. 21 to express her condolences.

“My heart goes out to all of the people impacted, and I really tried to work with all of the local agencies to make sure that we got the relief that we could,” she said.

“When I started to get the [storm] updates in the news, I tried to schedule a flight back to Connecticut, but as you know there were delays, cancellations, and flights have just been booked.”

Ms. Hayes subsequently jetted off to Martha’s Vineyard where she indulged in extravagances, including a $2,000 stay at a waterfront resort and spending over $1,700 while dining at restaurants that served oysters, caviar and lobster.

Additionally, she spent $1,635 on a rental car.

The spending spree during the storm cleanup was first reported by the New York Post, which noted that Ms. Hayes posted several instances to social media and issued press releases on the emergency response to the flash flood, but hosted only one Aug. 23 briefing with federal, state and local officials to assess the flood damage.

Republicans criticized Ms. Hayes for the money she spent at the Cape Cod-area resort while the storm took its toll on her district.

“It takes courage to choke down $8 oysters in Martha’s Vineyard with millionaire donors while Jahana’s constituents suffered,” National Republican Congressional Committee spokeswoman Savannah Viar said in a statement.

Connecticut GOP Chairman Ben Proto told The Washington Times, “There’s an old saying: ’A person’s character is shown when no one is watching.’ 

“During the floods, neighbors risked their own lives to rescue fellow neighbors while at the same time Congresswoman Hayes partied in Chicago, dined in Martha’s Vineyard and spent tens of thousands of dollars having a good time. Her actions during this crisis speaks volumes to her character because no one she thought was watching.” 

The Times reached out to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the Connecticut Democratic State Central Committee for comment.

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates Ms. Hayes’ 5th Congressional District as “lean Democrat.”

Ms. Hayes is locked in a rematch with former Republican state Sen. George Logan, whom she defeated in 2022 by less than 1%.

According to a recent survey of likely voters conducted by Emerson College Polling and News 8, Ms. Hayes leads Mr. Logan 49% to 46%. Five percent of voters are undecided.

Ms. Hayes’ lead is within the poll’s margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.

“It’s very close; this is not any one candidate’s race,” Matt Taglia, senior director at Emerson College Polling, told News 8.

• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.

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