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Former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin defeated longtime U.S. Rep. John Larson in Connecticut’s Democratic primary Tuesday, as voters embraced generational change and a call for more urgency in the party’s fight with President Donald Trump.
Speaking to supporters after his victory, Bronin, 46, praised Larson, 78, for both his liberal politics and his 27 years of service. Yet Bronin also stressed that the nation was in crisis and that it was time for a new approach.
“If we are going to fix this mess that we are in, we need to build a Democratic Party that is bringing a whole new energy to this fight,” Bronin said to an energetic crowd in Hartford.
He said if the party won’t adapt, “then the changes are going to come from the ground up. And that’s a message the party needs to hear.”
Larson, who had faced concerns about his age and health, became the latest in a string of House members, from both major parties, to lose their seats in primaries this year.
“The goal is to shake things up in Washington D.C., and we are just getting started,” warned Bronin, who was a sophomore at Yale when Larson was first elected to Congress in 1998.
For nearly 30 years, Larson largely avoided serious Democratic opposition during his time in Congress. However, concerns about his health and age began to circulate after he abruptly stopped speaking during a speech on the House floor last year.
His office later said Larson suffered a complex partial seizure, maintaining that he was fit to seek a 15th term and was taking medication to help control the condition.
Despite his arguments that his experience was valuable to Connecticut voters and his repeated willingness to fight against Trump, Larson ultimately conceded Tuesday night after saying he was disappointed with the results.
Larson avoided directly referencing Bronin in his speech, which he delivered while surrounded by supporters in the middle of a room rather than from a podium. Instead, he implored Democrats to “come together, heal and move forward.”
With Democrats expected to hold the seat in November, the fight over who would become the Democratic nominee in the 1st District isn’t critical to the party’s effort to take back control of the House. However, it does reflect the growing willingness of younger Democrats to take on some of their party’s most stalwart figures in Washington.
After Biden’s drawn-out decision to ultimately step aside in 2024 at 81, which helped pave the way for Donald Trump’s second term in the White House, the Democratic Party’s veterans have increasingly been targeted as part of the problem.
Other candidates who ran for the congressional seat were state Rep. Jillian Gilchrist, 44, and Ruth Fortune, 38, a lawyer who immigrated to the U.S. from Haiti.
Bronin will face Republican Amy Chai, a physician, in the November general election.
Connecticut’s remaining four congressional seats are held by Democrats not facing a primary challenge. Republicans will hold a primary for the state’s 4th and 5th Congressional Districts.
Separately, the only statewide race on Tuesday was the Democratic primary for governor. Current Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont won his primary race against state Rep. Josh Elliott, 41, who was also running for reelection for his statehouse seat.
Lamont, 72, a wealthy former cable entrepreneur, has developed a reputation as a fiscal moderate, signing a major tax cut and paying down unfunded state pension liabilities. He has also supported access to abortion through safe harbor laws and greater protections for immigrants.
No Connecticut governor has served out three consecutive terms in modern times.
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This story has been updated to correct Lamont’s age to 72 instead of 71.
Kimberlee Kruesi, The Associated Press
