Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.) lost the Democratic primary in Connecticut’s First Congressional District on Aug. 11 to former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, ending a run in the House that began with his election in 1998.
Larson is the seventh House Democrat to lose a primary this year, part of a pattern of younger challengers unseating long-serving members of both parties.
Some Democratic races centered on ideological debates between progressive challengers and moderate incumbents, while others focused more on generational differences between candidates. In some races, both issues were factors voters weighed.
Bronin took 54.39 percent of the vote to Larson’s 32.69 percent, according to unofficial results posted by the office of the Connecticut secretary of state.
State Rep. Jillian Gilchrest finished with 8.17 percent, and attorney Ruth Fortune with 4.75 percent.
Bronin, 46, told supporters on stage at his election night party in Hartford that the result was “a political earthquake in Connecticut.”
“But the goal is to shake things up in Washington, D.C., and we’re just getting started,” he said.
He said the primary was about the direction of his party.
“From the start, this campaign was about something very simple, that if we are going to fix this mess that we’re in, we need to build a Democratic Party that’s bringing a whole new energy to this fight,” Bronin said.
He said that if party leaders “don’t recognize that we need to make changes, then the changes are going to come from the ground up,” and that “that’s a message our party needs to hear.”
Bronin opened his remarks by praising Larson’s career, saying the congressman “has given us a lifetime of service” and “has earned all of our respect and gratitude.”
Bronin had the support of the state’s Democratic Party, while Larson had the backing of the state’s congressional delegation and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.).
Larson, 78, was seeking a 15th term. He conceded on Tuesday night, speaking from the middle of a room surrounded by supporters and media.
“Yeah, I’m disappointed. No question about it. But far from disheartened,” Larson said. “We have responsibility and a job to do. And we’ve got to come together as people, as a Democratic Party, and fight for what’s right for the American people.”
He did not refer to Bronin by name in his remarks.
He said that “the people in this district have spoken” and that Democrats should “come together, heal, and move forward” after every primary.
Larson also said he intends “to fulfill my responsibility to the last day” of his term.
Larson thanked Connecticut’s congressional delegation in his remarks, naming Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), Joe Courtney (D-Conn.), Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.), and Jim Himes (D-Conn.).
He said Murphy “went out of his way because of his belief and trust in me.”
Larson had faced questions about his age and health after he stopped speaking partway through a floor speech in the House last year.
His office said afterward that he had experienced a complex partial seizure and that he was fit to run again and was taking medication for the condition.
Bronin served as mayor of Hartford from 2016 to 2024 and was on an anti-corruption task force during his service in Afghanistan, which he referenced in his speech.
Bronin will face Republican Amy Chai, a physician, in the Nov. 3 general election, who was unopposed.
Democrats hold all five of Connecticut’s House seats.
In the only statewide contest on the ballot on Tuesday, Gov. Ned Lamont, a Democrat, defeated state Rep. Josh Elliott in the gubernatorial primary.
Lamont is seeking his third term in the governor’s office. He will face state Rep. Ryan Fazio, who was unopposed.
