Reflecting the tightness of their political battle, U.S. Rep. John B. Larson and former Hartford mayor Luke Bronin have both raised more than $1 million as they head toward a potential Democratic primary next year.
The campaigns announced their totals Monday for the just-ended quarter of September 30 in the first indications of their fundraising prowess for the hotly contested seat that covers 27 communities that include Hartford, West Hartford, and East Hartford.
Bronin immediately captured attention among political insiders by bursting into the fundraising lead with more than a half a million dollars in the first 24 hours after his campaign kickoff and posting $800,000 at the end of two weeks. He collected donations of $1,184,698.72 in the third quarter and said that money collected since last week’s deadline pushes the campaign’s total to more than $1.2 million.
“We know that we’re never going to raise as much as a 27-year incumbent who gets most of his money from corporate PACs, but these first two months show that we’re going to have what we need to compete and make a powerful case for change,” Bronin said Monday.
But Larson, who is serving his 14th term in Congress from the First District, has nearly caught up to his younger rival in the fundraising battle. Larson officially launched his campaign Sept. 12, six weeks after Bronin entered the race.
Larson has pushed his fundraising operation into overdrive, including holding a major fundraiser in late September at the Hartford mansion of parking czar Alan Lazowski, Larson’s fundraising chairman. Larson had previously held a major luncheon for key supporters at the Manchester restaurant of UConn basketball coach Geno Auriemma on the day of his re-election announcement.
Bronin and Larson have traded barbs over the source of donations since Bronin in mid-August called on Larson not to accept money from corporate PACs in order to ensure leaders are “putting the interests of working families and the middle class first.”
The former mayor at the time touted hundreds of individual donors, whom he declined to name, saying they would be revealed in the campaign filings, which have not yet been released.
Despite Bronin’s head start in fundraising, Larson has substantially caught up, relying on the deep bench of family, friends, and supporters who have backed him and kept him in elective office for more than 30 years that dates back to his days as president pro tempore in the state Senate. Larson, like Bronin, tied the financial support to fear of Trump.
“I am grateful for the outpouring of support from across the First District,” Larson said Monday. “At a time
when President Trump and his allies are attacking our democracy, targeting immigrant families,
and labeling me an agitator for standing up to them, this campaign is powered by people who
know what’s at stake. They know we cannot allow Trump to dismantle our Constitution, privatize
Social Security, or roll back the rights we have fought for over generations.”
“This support sends a clear message: the people of the First District are ready to
fight back. I will continue to stand up to Trump’s authoritarian overreach and protect our
community, our democracy, and the values we share. Together, we will defend our social safety
net, expand healthcare opportunities for working families, and ensure Connecticut leads the way
forward.”
While Larson said his support indicates voters’ trust in his leadership, Bronin said it’s time for change.
“The Democratic Party needs big changes and new energy, and we’re building a strong campaign that will have what it takes to win,” Bronin said. “I’m grateful to everyone who has supported this campaign so far, and every single day I hear from more and more people who believe that it’s time for change and want to help make it happen.”
Former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin has raised $1.2 million in his battle for Congress. Here, he talks with Frank Santana at Parkville Market in Hartford on July 30 before speaking to reporters about his announcement to challenge U.S. Rep. John B. Larson in a Democratic primary for Connecticut’s 1st Congressional District. (Aaron Flaum/Hartford Courant)
The issue of age has come up in the campaign at a time when many Democrats remain concerned that President Joe Biden stayed in the race too long and helped contribute to Vice President Kamala Harris’s loss to Republican Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential race.
Bronin, 46, is challenging Larson, who turned 77 on July 22. They are also facing 43-year-old state Rep. Jillian Gilchrest of West Hartford, 35-year-old Southington town council member Jack Perry, and 37-year-old Hartford attorney Ruth R. Fortune.
Larson has won 14 consecutive elections for Congress, but has suffered two public episodes in which he temporarily “froze” in the middle of speeches. In a nationally televised speech in February on C-SPAN, Larson suffered a “complex partial seizure” on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives as he was making remarks.
But Larson has been highly energized on the campaign trail, including showing up at events where he was not among the listed speakers. He told The Courant recently that the battle against Bronin has increased his energy level.
“Well, we always try to be energized, but there’s nothing like a little competition to get your Irish going,” said Larson, an Irish American who is a frequent marcher in the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Hartford.
Christopher Keating can be reached at ckeating@courant.com
