At 77, U.S. Rep. John Larson is not done yet.
That is the message that he and his supporters delivered loud and clear Friday as he officially announced his campaign for re-election in his hometown of East Hartford.
Larson delivered a speech to a standing-room-only crowd at the heart and soul of his district – a union hall directly across the street from the Pratt & Whitney plant that has been manufacturing jet engines for decades.
Larson is facing the most difficult election in his long career as battles in a potential five-way Democratic primary next year against former Hartford mayor Luke Bronin and others.
As a longtime incumbent, Larson has been dismayed that he is being challenged by Bronin, who had previously supported Larson and contributed money to his campaigns.
“The thing about a big family and loyal friends – when you attack one of us, you attack all of us,” Larson said to the crowd. “And we stick together. … It’s time for Democrats to unite and stand together because we’re in a fight. You know it, and I know it. So I ask you. Are you ready for a fight?”
“Yes!” audience members yelled in reply.
U.S. Rep. John Larson shakes hands with supporters as he makes his way to the stage to officially launch his re-election campaign at the I.A.M. Local Lodge 1746 in East Hartford, on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2025. (Aaron Flaum/Hartford Courant)
Age of candidates
The issue of age has come up in the campaign at a time when many Democrats remained concerned that President Joe Biden remained in the race too long and helped contribute to the loss by Vice President Kamala Harris 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, 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.
Larson underwent tests and said later that he had previously had a heart valve replacement years earlier. He suffered a second incident in April during a press conference at the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in Hartford, where he paused again during an answer before recovering and soon after having his picture taken with other attendees.
A large crowd of Larson’s friends and family gathered at the union hall for a series of speeches. In the front row was U.S. Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina, a longtime friend of Larson since Larson won his first election for Congress in 1998.
Clyburn did not speak from the stage, but he said in an interview with The Courant said that he is “really, really close” with Larson.
“There is no bigger champion in the Congress for equity and security – two words that people don’t always use together – but John is big on equity and is big on security, most especially Social Security,” Clyburn said. “I consider him a very good friend and a very valuable person, especially for retirees.”
Clyburn said he will hold fundraisers for Larson as the campaign moves forward in a high-stakes, big-money race.
U.S. Rep. John Larson shakes hands with U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina’s 6th Congressional District, as he makes his way to the stage to officially launch his re-election campaign at the I.A.M. Local Lodge 1746 in East Hartford, on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2025. Clyburn is a major player among U.S. House Democrats and a longtime friend of Larson. (Aaron Flaum/Hartford Courant)
Christopher Keating can be reached at ckeating@courant.com
