Jahana Hayes recently appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine with U.S. Reps. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Updated 8:15 p.m. with Hayes comment. 

Washington – Rep. Jahana Hayes has not yet cleared her first 100 days in office, but she’s already the target of a political attack ad.

A new group called Freedom Project USA released a YouTube video Tuesday attacking Hayes, D-5th District, for her support of the Green New Deal, an aspirational  Democratic proposal that aims to combat climate change and work toward social justice.

The 30-second spot flashes a picture of Hayes – and of the Green New Deal’s House sponsor, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – with a voiceover that says the Green New Deal could cost $93 trillion.

The ad compares the Green New Deal to the FYRE festival, a music festival in the Bahamas whose organizers were totally unprepared for the customers they lured to the island.

“Don’t be fooled again. The Green New Deal is just another scam,” the ad says. “Defeat Socialism. Defend Freedom.”

Hayes responded to questions about the ad Tuesday night.

“I am not at all concerned,” she said. “It is no surprise that an organization which seeks to privatize education would see me as an adversary. My uncompromising advocacy of public education and my belief that all schools in all communities have value could be viewed as a threat to an organization such as this. I am confident that my work in Congress will ensure my constituents in CT-05 that I am not a ‘fraud.’”

Matt Wylie, president of Freedom Project USA, is a Connecticut political consultant who worked on the former Republican Rep. Chris Shay’s failed bid for the U.S. Senate in 2012. Wylie also worked on the 2016 U.S. Senate campaign of Republican August Wolf, who like Shays was defeated at the state’s Republican convention.

Wylie said his organization was formed to promote the free market and “constitutional principles.”

He said his group will create additional attacks ads aimed at other Democrats, mostly in New England.

“Jahana Hayes was just a good first target because she did not campaign as a socialist,” Wylie said. “When someone is engaged in such an obvious scam, it’s never too early to talk about it.”

Freedom Project USA is classified as a a 501(c)4 education organization by the Internal Revenue Service and does not have to identify its donors. Wylie declined to identify them, too, saying the group is funded by “several private donors” who live both in Connecticut and outside the state.

Like Wylie’s group, Republicans in Washington D.C. have used the Green New Deal, which they call an economy busting socialist manifesto, to try to bludgeon Democrats.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell held a vote on the Green New Deal in the Senate last week to put Democrats — especially the many in the Senate who are running for president — on the record regarding the controversial plan.

The vote failed after all Republicans voted “no” and most Democrats voted “present,” including Connecticut Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy.

Ana has written about politics and policy in Washington, D.C.. for Gannett, Thompson Reuters and UPI. She was a special correspondent for the Miami Herald, and a regular contributor to The New York TImes, Advertising Age and several other publications. She has also worked in broadcast journalism, for CNN and several local NPR stations. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland School of Journalism.

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7 Comments

  1. Bravo Congress Woman Hayes, stand tall, stand strong, and be not afraid of these nay sayers to a greener future, a future our children deserve.
    Thank you for standing up.

    1. Bravo for Socialism? Do you know what you are “bravoing” about? Is Joanna Hayes our government representative or a publicity stunt like Senator Blumenthal? Are you cheering her even though she has yet to accomplish anything? Is this lack of accomplishments what is worth cheering?

  2. If she doesn’t want to be considered a ‘fraud,’ (her word) maybe she shouldn’t have made her first act as a member of Congress–the support of and vote for Speaker Pelosi. She specifically campaigned on NOT voting for Pelosi yet immediately did just the opposite and received a spot on the Education Committee.

    Ms. Hayes may yet turn out to be a fine CT Representative but she sure has stumbled out of the blocks. Or, maybe she’s just showing her true self.

  3. Bravo Congresswoman Hayes, for supporting legislation from a Socialist before you understood that it would have bankrupted this already financially-strained country.

    1. Maybe Democrats will work to understand the consequences of these mammoth progressive “deals” before they publicly support them. Their mouths can’t cash the checks their backsides are writing with other people’s money.

  5. So when a politician promises during the campaign a certain item and then goes back on that promise, is that just politics or is it lie? When a candidate, whether republican or democrat promises to protect the middle class, what do they mean? When they back and vote for increase in taxes the target the middle class is that not a lie? Do the freshmen congress people get a free pass? When the leftist agenda is pushed to the determent of the poor and the middle class, are these lies by the candidates then representatives that said just the opposite during their election?

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