A Democrat lawmaker in Connecticut has been arrested after (allegedly) stealing campaign signs for her opponent.
State Rep. Anne Hughes was charged with larceny after taking down signs belonging to Republican Darrell Harris in the town of Easton, CT.
She was busted after police used AirTags placed in the signs to track them down and found at least one at a property owned by Rep. Hughes.
Here's a photo of the Democrat representative accused of stealing the signs:
BREAKING: CT State Rep Anne Hughes (D) charged with larceny after allegedly stealing campaign signs belonging to her opponent
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) November 1, 2026
The signs were reported missing and an airtag in the sign led police straight to a property owned by Hughes pic.twitter.com/R6thN1DeML
Why do they always look like that?
Since being arrested and charged, Hughes has been forced to return multiple signs and issue an apology.
In a social media post, she said that she's sorry and claims that she only removed the signs because they were on public property.
Take a look:
NEW: @EastonCTPolice have charged Democratic @RepAnneHughes with misdemeanor larceny for stealing her opponent’s campaign signs
— John Craven (@johncraven1) October 31, 2026
In a statement, Hughes says the signs “shouldn’t have been on public property,” but apologized for removing them instead of calling police pic.twitter.com/5qWYWqUSLv
In an interview, Darrell Harris said that he was shocked when he found out the person stealing his campaign signs was his opponent.
From CT Insider:
Harris said in an interview Sunday that his campaign staff had been frustrated by stolen signs and a staffer attached AirTags to some of them. Harris said he was surprised Hughes was linked to the stolen signs because their interactions on the campaign trail had been cordial.
"It's the last thing I would have expected," he said.
The 135th district covers Easton, Weston and Redding, a high-income area in southwestern Connecticut. On his lawn signs and social media, Harris has spotlighted a comment Hughes made on April 15, 2025 just after she and other Democratic members of the legislature's Tax Equity Caucus finished a press conference calling for an increase in Connecticut's capital gains tax. Still being recorded, Hughes turned to colleagues and said, "We're not rich. But I always say to the governor, 'Tax my people. They won't even notice.' "
Republicans pilloried Hughes for the comment.
"She said the quiet part out loud," state Rep. Tony Scott, R-Monroe, who also represents part of Easton, wrote on Facebook a few hours after the press conference. "Using Tax Day to admit the Dems want more taxes and think you won't notice."
Hughes said at the time that she was only referring to her wealthiest constituents.
The GOP, however, is now hammering Hughes on the theft charge and her alleged motivation for wanting Harris's signs to disappear.
"Apparently, the 'tax my people, they won't even notice' state rep didn't want her constituents reminded about her comments," GOP House Republicans posted on Facebook Saturday.
Harris said Sunday, however, that he was not planning to focus on the theft charge in his campaign.
"I feel terribly for Anne… I don't want to pile on," Harris said.
NBC Connecticut shared statements from both the Easton Republican and Democrat committees:
The Easton Republican Town Committee said in a statement,
"The Easton Police Department's press release concerning Representative Anne Hughes raises serious questions about judgment, integrity, and accountability. This is not simply about stolen campaign signs. It is about respect for the law and the democratic process.
We acknowledge Representative Hughes' apology, but an apology does not diminish the seriousness of the incident or the consequences that may follow.
Equally troubling is the suggestion that this matter is a distraction from the issues. This IS an issue. Character matters. Judgment matters. And elected officials should be held to a higher standard, not excused from it.
This is not about Republican versus Democrat. It is about right versus wrong. The people of Easton deserve elected officials who demonstrate the integrity they promise on the campaign trail.
Public trust is earned through actions, not apologies."
The Easton Democratic Town Committee also said in a statement,
"The Easton Democratic Town Committee does not condone Representative Anne Hughes' actions.
Removing campaign signs, for any reason, is not how we resolve disagreements in our community, and it is not the standard we expect from our elected officials or from ourselves. We appreciate Rep. Hughes taking responsibility, and we trust the legal process to proceed fairly.
As we head into the final days of this election, we ask everyone to respect every candidate's right to be seen and heard. If you see a sign you believe is placed illegally, please report it to the Easton Police Department or to the campaign it belongs to."
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