State GOP chairman asks candidate to drop out after Yovanovitch revelations

The chairman of Connecticut’s Republican Party said Wednesday that he had asked a congressional candidate to step down after it was revealed that he had communicated with a close ally of Rudy Giuliani currently tied to the congressional impeachment hearings.

J.R. Romano tweeted Wednesday afternoon that he had asked Rob Hyde, a candidate running in the crowded GOP primary for Connecticut’s 5th Congressional District, to withdraw from the race, calling his campaign a “distraction.”

“I have asked Rob Hyde to end his bid for Congress. His campaign is a distraction for the Democrats to raise money and falsely label all Republicans with his antics. In my view he is not helping other Republican candidates or @realDonaldTrump win,” Romano tweeted.

I have asked Rob Hyde to end his bid for Congress.  His campaign is a distraction for the Democrats to raise money and falsely label all Republicans with his antics. In my view he is not helping other Republican candidates or @realDonaldTrump win.  #ctpolitics

— J.R. Romano (@CTGOPChair) January 15, 2020

Representatives for the state Republican Party did not immediately return a request for further comment from The Hill. Connecticut’s 5th District is currently represented by Rep. Jahana Hayes (D), who won the district for her first term last year by an 11-point margin.

Hyde did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill but took aim at Romano in a Facebook post Wednesday afternoon.

“JR RINO should resign from the @CTGOP ASAP,” he wrote, employing the commonly used epithet “Republican in name only.”

“Never did anything but rig elections including his own and was a staunch advocate against @realDonaldTrump and still is,” Hyde added.