Congressional candidates attend Memorial Day observances

WATERBURY, Conn. (WTNH) — The City of Waterbury held a series of Memorial Day observances, including its annual parade, on Sunday afternoon.

Waterbury distinguishes itself as a “Gold Star Family City”. This distinction honors more than 500 servicemembers from Waterbury who died in uniform.

The observances also became a backdrop for the politics of the city, which is a heated fight for control of Connecticut’s Fifth Congressional District.

In the race for the Fifth District, incumbent Democratic Congresswoman Jahana Hayes is facing Republican candidate George Logan in a rematch of their 2022 race that was decided by less than one percentage point.

Logan and Hayes were both out in Waterbury on Sunday afternoon, appearing at packed events with voters who could ultimately decide their fate in Congress.

Republicans currently hold a four seat majority in the U.S House of Representatives, leaving them little room for error on any given vote. National Republicans see Connecticut’s Fifth District as a prime opportunity to increase their influence in the Washington.

A procession of high-ranking Congressional Republicans have come to Connecticut to raise funds and rally support for Logan, including House Speaker Mike Johnson.

“He’s exactly the right kind of person that we need right now,” Johnson told News 8 when he visited Torrington in March.

On Sunday afternoon, Logan was at the Waterbury post of the Ancient Order of Hibernians attending a luncheon for Gold Star families. The stop was one of multiple appearances Logan had scheduled for his weekend barnstorm of the district.

In the front of the hall were several portraits of servicemembers from Waterbury who died in combat zones or as a result of injuries sustained during combat. The portraits were painted by Joseph Nolan.

Mr. Nolan’s son, Army Sgt. Joseph Michael Nolan, is among the servicemembers that were enshrined on canvas. Sgt. Nolan was killed in 2004 during combat operations in the U.S.-led war in Iraq. He was a linguist and spoke Arabic.

Mr. Nolan, who is a veteran himself, said the portraits are part of an effort to sustain the memory of fallen servicemembers.

“One reason for doing these portraits is to remind people that these things really happen,” Nolan told the crowd at the luncheon. He observed that many Americans seldom think about the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan since major U.S. combat operations in the two countries have drawn to a close.

In addition to his son, Mr. Nolan’s portraits memorialize the following: Warrant Officer William Brennan, Warrant Officer Michael Kight, Staff Sergeant Henry Irizarry, Staff Sergeant Ronald Spino, Corporal Christian Cotner, Corporal Xhacob Latorre, Lance Corporal Darell C. Riley, and Private First Class Anthony D’Agostino.

Logan mingled with the crowd at the luncheon and told News 8 that he had been getting positive responses from residents around the Fifth District throughout the holiday weekend.

“Folks have been energized,” Logan said, “thinking about those who made the ultimate sacrifice, you know, for our freedoms and liberties.”

Logan’s campaign has largely focused on the issue of affordability. In public appearances and interviews, he frequently discusses rising prices for rent and gasoline while trying to position Hayes and her fellow Democrats as the culprits.

Logan won the unanimous endorsement of Fifth District Republicans early last week, a vote of confidence from state Republicans who believe his message against Hayes could carry him to victory in this year’s rematch.

“There’s a lot of opportunity here for us to really go in a different direction,” Logan said. Voters, he says, are “tired of the status quo, and you know we’re proving that hope for a change–the direction of our district, of our state, and of our nation.”

Congresswoman Hayes declined an interview with News 8 saying in a statement that “the focus should be on the families who have endured the ultimate sacrifice.” On Sunday afternoon, she marched toward the front of Waterbury’s Memorial Day parade, greeting onlookers alongside Mayor Paul Pernerewski and other local politicians.

“Waterbury is the Gold Star Families City,” Hayes’ statement read. “I’m happy to talk politics most days of the year, not on Memorial Day and not in Waterbury.”

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