The Gamble for the First District: Who Is Challenging John Larson?

Mathew Biadun | News-Editor

Connecticut’s First Congressional District is not one of the state’s most competitive. The last Republican elected from the district was in 1956, and in 2024, incumbent Representative John Larson won a fourteenth term with a margin-of-victory of twenty-eight points. Representatives from this district have normally counted on safe political careers once they're elected. But in a surprise twist, Larson’s future in the House is now in question, threatened not by Republicans, but other Democrats.

Questions about John Larson’s political future have been in question since February, when he suffered a partial seizure on the floor of the House, leaving him frozen at the microphone. The seizure came just six months after Joe Biden dropped out of his presidential bid, motivated significantly by concerns of his age and health. John Larson was seventy-six, just six years younger than Biden. 

Larson has largely brushed off concerns, setting his sights on a fifteenth term come 2026. For a while it seemed he would get it, as traditional wisdom found his safe-seated incumbency almost impossible to beat. But that was before Zohran Mamdani dealt a shocking defeat to Andrew Cuomo in New York City’s democratic primary. His victory has proven to many that traditional notions of electability and incumbency-advantages are being shaken up, inspiring others to spark primary battles; including right here in Connecticut.

Since Mamdani’s victory, Larson has not only faced numerous contenders, but serious ones as well. Four Democrats are currently set to challenge Larson in a primary; something he has never experienced since entering the House in 1999. All four are sitting or former politicians.

Luke Bronin has come out as Larson’s biggest contender. A Yale graduate, he served for a time in the Navy, at one point being deployed to Afghanistan. Upon returning to Connecticut, he served in President Obama’s Treasury department in two positions, and then as General Counsel to Governor Dannel Malloy. In 2015, he challenged and defeated Hartford’s incumbent mayor Pedro Segarra in a primary battle, going on to win the election and serve as mayor until 2024.

Proponents of Bronin’s candidacy would point to his track record of winning primary battles, as well as his fundraising ability. He has raised $1.18 million thus far in the campaign, while simultaneously refusing to accept corporate donations. Detractors would accuse him of being a political opportunist. He tried to run for Governor in 2018, despite pledging to serve a full term as mayor, and had been rumored to be interested in the governorship, before coming out against Larson in July, after supposedly having asked Larson to retire. Luke Bronin also has health problems of his own, having faced ulcerative colitis during his mayoralty. 

Bronin is forty-six years old.

Jillian Gilchrest is currently on her fourth term as a State Representative from West Hartford. She is currently the Co-Chair of the Human Services Committee, having made a name for herself in calls for healthcare access and gender-equity. Many had theorized that she would run in the First District after Larson’s retirement; a succession in jeopardy with Bronin’s arrival.

Proponents of Gilchrest’s candidacy would point to West Hartford’s large pool of Democratic voters, giving it a large role in primaries. Opponents would say that she will struggle to face Bronin’s name recognition and his treasure trove of campaign funds.

Gilchrest is forty-three years old.

If Gilchrest and Bronin are Larson’s two major contenders, then he also has two minor contenders as well. Jack Perry, a council member from Southington, and Ruth Fortune, a member of the Hartford Board of Education, are also running. Although their victories are unlikely, they could siphon votes away from either of the two other candidates, if the race is short.

The outcome of the primary could have significant effects on Connecticut’s politics moving forward. Several other of the state’s congressional delegates are also longtime incumbents, including the eighty-two year old Rosa DeLauro, who is on her eighteenth term, and the seventy-two year old Joe Courtney, who is on the tenth term. Were Rep. Larson to be knocked off his seat, other Representatives may see challenges as well.