Seat to Watch: Connecticut’s 5th District Erupts in Firestorm Over GOP Ben Proto’s Embattled Leadership
A Friday night clash inside Connecticut’s Republican Party has erupted into a story with national implications, as 5th District congressional candidate Jonathan De Barros challenges what he calls the failed leadership of state GOP Chairman Ben Proto and a rigged one-party system, making this a seat worthy of the watch, after a late Friday night hit piece in the CT Examiner.
In a sharply worded response to a CT Examiner article about alleged bribery tied to pressure to denounce President Donald Trump, De Barros reiterates his account, notes that witnesses spoke to the reporter off the record, and blasts the state party for chronic losses and political theater aimed at silencing reform candidates.
De Barros also calls out the Connecticut press, accusing the CT Examiner of selective reporting, criticizing its photo choice, and formally demanding that his statement be published in full, positioning himself against both the party establishment and a media culture he argues protects the status quo.
Below is Jonathan De Barros’s full press release, submitted as his official response to the CT Examiner story.
Subject: Formal Response to CT Examiner Story: “Congressional Candidate Stumps with Claims of Bribery in Race to Unseat Jahana Hayes”
Note: This statement is submitted as a direct response to the CT Examiner story published March 27, 2026. I expect and respectfully request that it be published in full, in keeping with principles of accuracy and journalistic fairness.
Voters deserve the truth, not selective reporting shaped by Connecticut’s broken political machine.
I stand by every statement I have made. The reporter personally interviewed the two witnesses who were present during the conversation in question and is fully aware they chose not to go on the record for obvious safety reasons. Their decision to remain unnamed does not make their testimony any less credible, and the reporter could be compelled, if necessary, to confirm that those interviews did indeed occur.
To be perfectly clear, what should concern every voter is the ethics and professionalism of Independent Party Chair Chip Beckett making extreme partisan statements about the President of the United States. In the article, he says he “hates Donald Trump,” while Eversource’s name is mentioned in the broader context of that political discussion. Eversource plays a critical role in Connecticut’s energy infrastructure and works closely with state regulators and on state contracts, so it is great to hear that Eversource was unaware of his interactions with my campaign and of the language he used.
The real issue is not one conversation. It is the broader political culture in Connecticut, one dominated by fear, manipulation, and failed leadership. Under Chairman Ben Proto, Connecticut Republicans have not won a single statewide office or congressional seat, and the party continues to lose ground in a state where Republicans have already gone more than two decades without a statewide or congressional victory. This deliberate vote splitting and chronic failure at the top have left Connecticut functionally under one party rule. That is not democracy; that is decline.
It is also necessary to call out the ongoing political theater used to silence reform-minded voices in the party. The baseless calls to police and false portrayals of candidates like myself are not acts of public service. They are cynical attempts to discredit challengers who refuse to play along. The voters are not fooled by these games, and the people of Connecticut are tired of the intimidation, name-calling, and distractions that take the place of real leadership.
Finally, the photograph used in your story was an unfortunate and misleading editorial choice. Our campaign is happy to provide a professional image that clearly represents who I am and does not distort my character or appearance. Fair coverage requires fair representation, and transparency should apply to both candidates and the media.
It is time for delegates and voters to reject the heavy-handed power tactics and self-preserving networks holding this state hostage. I will continue to speak truth to power, without fear or favor, because Connecticut deserves better.
Connecticut delegates and voters should demand more: transparency, accountability, and courage. That is the campaign I am running. We are looking forward to winning the delegates and enjoying the Republican convention! There is a lot of work ahead.
Jonathan De Barros
Republican Candidate for U.S. Congress – 5th District
Wow, That’s a pretty strong indictment of the status-quo Republican Party in Connecticut!!
Connecticut is a dying socialist state, Proto and the Commiecrats are working full time to keep it that way.
It is more than Connecticut.
Huh…Sounds like the Senate R's all came from CT.
Proto is a RINO. His job is to make sure that no viable Republican candidates get into office in Connecticut. The job pays well and has fabulous benefits.
Not to mention the extra income realized for selling ones vote.
I guess it's too much to expect the media to publish factual stories instead of propaganda these days.
Ya think?
The media is all owned and operated by CIA/MI6 terrorists.
Did all of you notice the picture of Ben Proto?
If Colonel Sanders and Steve Bannon had a child…
Another RINO lap dog… selling out hie country and party for a few bucks. Pathetic.
We had a populist policy platform that was an 80/20 winning platform on almost all the issues.
That used to include the 80% to 90% popular no new wars platform. Soon to be 95% popular.
GOP official and leadership at the local level is just as bad as the national level.
It's worse! See Dan Schultz' Precinct Strategy –> precinctstrategy_com
IT IS THE TRAINING GROUND FOR THE BIG SHOW. THEY RISING IN THE RANKS BY BEING NOMINATED BY LOCAL " LEADERSHIP" HEADS JUST LIKE ANY CORRUPT HIERARCHY ORGANIZATION. YOU DONT RISE IN THE MILITARY RANKS TO GENERAL, BECAUSE YOU THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX OR EXUDE HONESTY AND INTEGRITY. ONCE THE CLIMBERS LEARN TO FOLLOW ORDERS BLINDLY THEY GET PROMOTED. ONLY IN POLITICS DO THESE SCUMBAGS ACTUALLY FAIL UP.
MINNESOTA IS PROOF THERE ARE BILLIONS TO STEAL AT LOCAL LEVELS. LOOK AT THE DEMOCRAT MAYOR OF A CHICAGO SUBURB. STOLE MILLIONS FROM THE TOWN …. MOVED TO ATLANTA { CURRENTLY UNDER "INVESTIGATION" FOR THE LAST 3 YEARS,} AND IS NOW RUNNING AS A REPUBLICAN I THINK FOR A CITY COUNCIL SEAT…..WITH A GOOD CHANCE OF WINNING. IT IS ALL UNIPARTY THEATER WHILE THEY FLEECE THE TAX PAYERS.
This will get worse until we collapse.
Everyone needs to grow a garden this year because you need to practice up growing your own food before the collapse makes it difficult to build local supply chains.
Learn from your mistakes now while you can fail, learn and start over. This country is going all the way down over the next few years and things are going to be bad in 6-9 months for food inflation with Asia and Europe hit hardest first.
REAL AMERICANS CAN RAISE FAMILIES,CAN RANCH AND FARM RAISE CROPS. APPARENTLY THE LIL BOXES WE TYPE AND TALK INTO DO MORE THAN JUST CREATE FODDER FOR POLITICIANS TO BRING UP AT THE NEXT ELECTION AND PROMISE TO FIX THESE PROBLEMS WITH IN THE 1ST WEEK OF THEIR REIGN OOPS SELECTION OOPS DEMOCRATIC ELECTION OOPS SORRY THE LIES OF THE LEFT ARE INGRAINED EVEN IN ME. THE NEXT CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC FREE FAIR AND HONEST ELECTION OF THE PEOPLE FOR THE PEOPLE.
We need to cull the "senior" GOP. They're RINOs and hacks. No one older than Ted Cruz.
Any other Party Chair than Ben Proto would have kept the Ballot Dtuffing issue in Bridgeport in the news Every week. Additionally because those charged are in key positions in the Democrat Party. He should have chased all the way up the ladder to expose highest ranking individual and Party awareness. Ben is probably registered as a "Democrat"!
And this is the reason Ct does not have a single republican representative in Congress for decades!
Just another loser liberal tiny piss ant state!
And this is the reason Ct does not have a single republican representative in Congress for decades!
Just another loser liberal tiny piss ant state!
But it's all been done by fraud, and RINO actors helping the fraud.
I'm surprised to hear that there is a conservative republican in the NUTmeg state. God bless and protect him.
Deep blue Connecticut and Rhode Island are nothing more than distant suburbs of Commie NYC. Their state GOPs are filled with individuals bought and paid for by the Left as long as they agree "to get along by going along".
ANYONE ELSE NOTICE THAT POLITICS ARE FORCING PEOPLE FROM THEIR HOMES? AMERICANS ARE FLEEING ALL OVER THE PLACE TO ESCAPE THE OPPRESSION THE POLITICIANS ARE SOWING. DESTROYING ENTIRE STATES BY TURNING THEM INTO WELFARE STATES. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A 30 YEAR HOME ANYMORE. THE LOCUST 3RD WORLD INVADERS SIMPLY LIVE IN WHAT WE BUILT AFTER WE FLEE FOR A LESS CRIME RIDDEN LOCATION. ABOUT 5 YEARS IN SEEMS TOP BE THE ROTATION OF AN AREA FROM LAW ABIDING SAFE FLIPS TO LACK OF POLICE ENFORCEMENT AND CRIME MAKES YOUR FAMILY UNSAFE AND POOF….A BRAND NEW DEMOCRAT OWNED 3RD WORLD INVADER GETS YOUR OLD HOMES AS YOU SEEK SHELTER.
SEEMS TO ME AMERICA HAS LOST OUR COUNTRY TO THE POLITICIANS. OUR LIVES ARE CONSUMED BY POLITICS. POLITICIANS OR POLITICS IN GENERAL MAKE NEVER SEEM TO AMERICA BETTER, PEACEFUL,SAFE OR FOR THAT MATTER ALLOW US ANY PEACE OF MIND OR A MOMENT TO THINK AND ENJOY OUR LIVES.
WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO FOR THE PEOPLE BY THE PEOPLE. THE PATTERN IS CLEAR, WHAT IS GOING TO CHANGE ALL OF THIS. IT IS HIGH TIME WE STOP RUNNING BECAUSE IT IS TIME TO STOP, LOCK THE DOOR AND ROAR " I AM NOT TRAPPED IN HERE WITH YOU……..YOU ARE TRAPPED IN HERE WITH ME" !
Unfortunately, in most of our 50 states, we have weak, ineffective, self-serving GOP "leaders"!
AGREED "LEADERS" IS A TERM THAT NEEDS TO GO. THERE IS JUST NOT ENOUGH PUSH BACK ON THAT TERM. REPRESENTATIVES IS THEIR PRESUMED TITLE AND NOW THEY HAVE THE MEDIA PUSHING "LEADERS" AS IN COMMUNISTS REFER TO THE OFFICIALS AS LEADERS. THEY LOVE WORD PLAY. I.E. IMMIGRANTS VS INVADERS…..IMMIGRANTS VS ILLEGALS OR PROGRESSIVES VS COMMIE SCUMBAG TRAITORS…ETC. ;))
Flashpointer, sounds like we need YOU to help us to fix our “party” (in any capacity for which you are willing to serve)? Any ideas?
POTUS WITH A GLADIATOR PLATFORM WHERE ALL PARTIES MUST DEFEND AMERICA AS THOUGH THEIR LIVES DEPEND ON IT.
I can only support this mans statement!!! this is what the repubs have become!!! and the main feeders are the rinos!!! what folks must understand is that the rinos are in fact converting the repub party into the exact same thing as what everyone now see's in the demo party!!! this is because old demos allowed the radicals who are not at all old style demos to take over, just as the rinos are still trying to consolidate in the same way and purposes!!! All of this has moved us as a nation not just to the left, but hard left!!! Even far left!!!
And that is why we see so many radical leftists at work!!! we as a country must go hard right to correct!!! but as we swing back, we must also be mindful and watchful that the extreme right does not do the same things!!! But we are far from that!!! And the leftists see any deviation as extreme right, which as most of their bile, is completely false!!! We need to return to true middle ground, not compromised middle ground that has brought us so far left!!!
The only radical aspects we should have, is the true well being of our country and our people!!! the American people!!! I celebrate all our legal additions to our pot luck stew that makes us up as Americans!!! But we are not about where others come from as much as who we all are together!!! as Americans, not anything else, and not about defending other people and influences that are doing all they can to hijack who we are as Americans!!!
And as much as the left tries to condemn this in their vile ignorance. The greatest point we as a nation have allowed to fall is our holding ourselves up to GOD in all we do!!! GODs Christian/Judaeo biblical principles are at the heart of all our nations laws and true judicial system!!! they are heart of who we are as a country!!! And this along with how our children have/are being taught has departed from all of this!!! The left has for years taken the worst and most twisted examples of what this means, totally out of context and filled with lies that alter not just our history, but also completely ignore our growth and walk in history!!! As everything to them is all about achieving their ends for both power and dominion over us as Americans, but also the world!!! They do everything they can to hide, alter and make lite of truth period!!! And the core truth of our country and its founding is JESUS and his teachings, his true teachings!!! And they all revolve around the TRUTH in biblical facts, history and facts, that they love to push off as fantasy against the facts!!! And the truth is, even when we use proper scientific facts, even mathematical, they all point to GOD our creator as being fact, not at all fiction!!!
So here we all are!!! And I laugh at those who try to throw away their own foundations as "science" just to try to hold onto fantasies of lies to avoid GOD and our accountability to him!!! Which extends by his direction to each other of our people!!! no matter how you want to follow it, all science and truth points to GOD, and as you get closer to the one true GOD, you find the TRUTH!!! And that TRUTH is in Christ JESUS!!!
GOD/FAMILY/COUNTRY!!!
Jonathan De Barros speaks the truth! ☝️
State's GOP's are and have been doing this in nearly every State!!!! They are as corrupted as CONgress.
Hence as to why CONgress is full of RINOS.
Give da Black Dude a chance .
.
Can't be worse dan dis Boss Hog Scum Bag!
Have you seen what you can get for your soul?
A solo trip to Disney world?
Seems like in the movies it was better than just that pink little wand of power he was holding.