Former Hartford mayor secures House seat to replace incumbent Larson

Luke Bronin, the former Democratic mayor of Hartford, will win the seat representing Connecticut’s 1st Congressional District after ousting longtime Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.) in the primary, according to preliminary results from Decision Desk HQ.

Bronin’s win over GOP candidate Amy Chai was largely expected for the solid-blue district, which covers the area around the Constitution State’s center, including Hartford.

Larson, who was first elected to the seat in 1998, was among a group of incumbents criticized for their long stints in Congress. He served 14 terms in Congress and faced three Democratic primary challengers.

Bronin, who received the endorsement of the Connecticut Democratic Party ahead of the August primary , argued on the campaign trail that Larson is a “good man” but change is needed as the Democratic Party tries to find its footing under the second Trump administration.

Bronin served as the mayor of Hartford from 2016 to 2024, focusing on Hartford’s bankruptcy and affordable housing. Prior to this, Bronin was a senior official at the Treasury Department under the Obama administration, helping establish the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

He later served as deputy assistant secretary of the Treasury Department for terrorist financing and financial crimes before former Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy (D) appointed him as his general counsel in 2013.

Bronin first got his start in politics working as Malloy’s deputy campaign manager in 2005, while attending Yale Law School in Connecticut. He later served as a Navy intelligence officer from 2007 to 2018 and was deployed to Afghanistan on the U.S. military’s anti-corruption task force from 2010 to 2011.