Connecticut Democrats have endorsed former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin (D) to be their candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives from greater Hartford over 27-year incumbent John Larson (D-CT-1).
The race to represent the state’s first U.S. House district has been tight between the top two of four candidates. Larson, 77, and Bronin, 46, represent the widening divide between aging career politicians and a younger generation who are looking to step in.
Bronin said his victory in the race for the party’s endorsement represents the need for change.
“What you saw tonight was how strong the hunger for change is out there, and I think this sends a powerful message,” Bronin said.
At the convention, more than 400 delegates gathered to cast their vote for who they think the party should endorse. The endorsement isn't necessarily the end for candidates who don’t get it — any candidate that got 15% or more of the votes gets to be on the primary ballot on August 11th.
So that means, Bronin, Larson, state representative Jillian Gilchrest (D-West Hartford) will appear. Gilchrest cut a deal with Larson to pick up enough delegates to hit 15 percent to stay on the ballot — and then dropped out of contention for the Democratic nomination.
Larson said he’s confident he’ll end up winning a 15th term.
“We're in this fight on behalf of the working people that I have served for 28 years in the United States Congress,” Larson said. “We have an agenda that's yet to be filled and my fight is going on now.”
There were four other conventions for Connecticut’s other four U.S. House seats on Monday night.
Those races were not nearly as close — the incumbents won a significant number of delegates in each. That means Representatives Joe Courtney (D-CT-2), Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-3), Jim Himes (D-CT-4), and Jahana Hayes (D-CT-5) won their party’s endorsement.
Candidates who did not get to 15% can still get on the ballot if they collect signatures from 2% of registered Democrats in their districts. Ruth Fortune, the fourth candidate in the race, said she would be collecting signatures.
