Longtime anti-Trump Dem ousted after tough primary from upstart progressive mayor
Fourteen-term Rep. John Larson, D-Conn., met his match in Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin during Tuesday’s hard-fought primary race.
Larson, who has served in Congress since the Clinton administration, faced three challengers: Bronin, state Rep. Jillian Gilchrest and Hartford Education Board member Ruth Fortune. The sprawling district includes Hartford, Glastonbury, Bristol and Windsor Locks.
Earlier this term, during a markup of legislation providing House members with DOGE access to Treasury payment information, Larson erupted at his colleagues and began yelling:
"You will do whatever Elon Musk and Donald Trump tell you to do. Where's the independence of the committee? Where's the legislature? We're an equal branch of government," Larson yelled. "Look at the empty seats here. Where's Elon Musk?"
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Larson has routinely criticized Musk and President Donald Trump during his tenure, notably filing more than a dozen articles of impeachment following the arrest and extraction of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
In that case, Larson accused Trump of piracy and other offenses. The impeachment push came as Larson faced a primary challenge from the younger Bronin.
Bronin, who also served in the Obama administration, appeared to be gaining on incumbent Larson as the year went on. He ran as a candidate seeking generational change in a longtime Democratic seat.
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The First District has not seen a Republican lawmaker since Rep. Edwin May Jr., R-Conn., who served during the Eisenhower administration.
Gilchrest is considered a progressive who also is also pro-choice abortion rights.
Fortune, considered the lowest-funded major candidate, ran an education-focused campaign.
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Republican challenger Amy Chai, a medical doctor focused on addiction treatment, said on her campaign site that Americans are too stressed and depressed because of national divisions and need a change.
Democrats, however, are again favored over Chai and the GOP this fall in the district.