Kamala Harris is going to Connecticut on Wednesday to campaign for an embattled Democrat running for re-election. Democrat Rep. Jahana Hayes is running against Republican George Logan. The race is tightening, as many are with election day about a month away. Politico updated its 2022 election forecast for Hayes’s district, changing it from “lean Democrat” to “toss-up.” Rah roh.

So, who do the Democrats send in to help Hayes? The one person more unpopular than the president, Vice-President Kamala Harris. What will be the theme of her speech today, you ask? She’s going to be talking about abortion. Surprise! Not. It’s the only issue that Democrats are campaigning on this cycle. What else do they have to talk about? Joe Biden is underwater in all categories and even Democrats don’t want him to run for re-election in 2024.

This is a district that Biden won by 11 points. In a normal election cycle, you’d expect this to be an easy re-election race for Hayes. However, we are living in Biden’s America now and nothing is normal. Inflation is at a 40 year high, home sales have dropped about 14%, grocery prices are at historically high levels, the price of gas is going back up, and violent crime is spiking in cities across the country. Voters are not going to reward Democrats this cycle, except their most loyal base, and the top five issues on the minds of voters does not include abortion. Yet, Kamala persists. Ever since the Supreme Court decision in the Dobbs case, Kamala has made herself the voice of the administration on the topic and is going around the country speaking about how Republicans are destroying democracy because the Court returned abortion back to the states.

Democrats are nervous about the seat held by Hayes now, especially after a report was released yesterday that shows the Congressional Leadership Fund’s (CLF) October media buys for midterm races totaling $600,000 in favor of Hayes’s opponent, Republican former State Senator George Logan. After that ad buy by CLF, Politico updated its 2022 election forecast for Hayes’s district. It changed from “lean Democrat” to “toss-up.” Yes, Hayes has the advantages that incumbents have and that includes in fundraising, but Politico points to candidate quality and long-term trends and finds that they equally favor both candidates. That is despite the fact that the district has not elected a Republican since 2002. That tracks with a red wave election, right?

There have been a couple of incidents that have reflected badly on the Hayes campaign.

Harris’ visit to Connecticut is not the first time Democrats have attempted to shift the focus of the closely-watched race to abortion rights in order to move the needle in Hayes’ favor. According to Logan’s campaign, last week, the House Majority PAC, an outside spending group linked to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, launched an attack ad against Logan claiming that he “refused to support Roe v. Wade” and that he would help Republican leadership implement a “nationwide ban on abortion.”

Logan’s legal counsel sent a cease and desist letter to the television stations airing the ad September 29, arguing the claim that the candidate refused to support the Supreme Court’s ruling in Roe v. Wade was “patently false and misleading, as George Logan has repeatedly expressed support for Roe v. Wade and its policy implications throughout his career and current campaign.”

Logan previously called out the Connecticut Democratic Party for a “racially motivated” tweet the group posted attacking him in May. The style of the tweet allegedly referenced the children’s series “Curious George,” which follows the adventures of an anthropomorphic monkey. The tweet, which Hayes had retweeted, was soon deleted. Both Hayes and the Connecticut Democratic Party issued apologies.

Logan later launched a campaign ad of his own claiming that Democrats were “coming after’ him now because he doesn’t “fit in this box” of a “typical Republican.”

Democrats are the racists that they accuse Republicans of being. It’s good to have a Republican candidate willing to call them out when the pull such a stunt. Republicans need to pick up just five additional seats to win a majority in the House. Democrats know their losses will be more than that. Hayes is trying to hold on to her seat against the red wave that is about to hit.

A new poll released by the CT Insider/Channel 3 Eyewitness News/ Western New England University released Monday shows that economic issues are at the top of voters list of concerns.

In a list of priorities, 24 percent of voters who described themselves as likely to vote indicated that inflation, the cost of living and the economy are their top subjects while considering candidates for governor. Another 22 percent said taxes and government spending are their priorities as the campaigns head into the final month before the Nov. 8 election.

In the third spot, 12 percent of respondents said that abortion rights and choice is their top issue before casting ballots. Morals and ethics of candidates came in fourth with 8 percent of voters saying it is their premier voting issue. Rounding out the top five subjects was public education, with 6 percent of likely voters giving it their most attention.

As long as economic issues continue to dominate in the minds of voters, Republicans win. Abortion is the only distraction Democrats have in their playbook. As James Carville once famously said, “It’s the economy, stupid.”