Former Hartford mayor ousts Larson in Connecticut House primary

Luke Bronin, the former Democratic mayor of Hartford, Conn., is projected to defeat incumbent Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.) and will advance to the November general election, according to preliminary results from Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ).

Larson, who was first elected to represent Connecticut's 1st Congressional District in 1998, faced three Democratic competitors in a solid blue district, the nonpartisan Cook Political Report noted. The district is located around the Constitution State's center, where Hartford is located.

Frustration toward long-serving Democrats extended to Larson, with momentum at the local level boosting Bronin's candidacy, according to Cook. There's little ideological difference between Larson and Bronin, with the lawmaker having attempted to run to Bronin's left. Larson has been a longtime labor ally who has worked to expand Social Security, though he's not typically seen as a progressive.

Bronin, however, went into the primary with the Connecticut Democratic Party's endorsement, in an unprecedented move. He also won the endorsements of local unions, local and state officials and even former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

In a final pitch to voters, Bronin wrote in an op-ed in CT Insider that "the stakes are just too high to keep doing the same thing." He praised Larson, noting how he has referred to the incumbent as a "good man" in all of his ads.

"But everything changed when Trump got reelected," he continued. "We lost, for a second time, to a con man and a criminal. And then we watched the Democratic Party struggle to find the strength, the clarity, the courage, or the energy to stop the damage."

Bronin concluded that his race against Larson does not mean the incumbent "did something wrong," but rather that "this moment demands something different."

Bronin is expected to face off against Republican House candidate Amy Chai in November.