The anti-establishment left-wing campaign to take over the Democratic Party has claimed another graying scalp, this time in Connecticut’s 1st Congressional District.
Longtime Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.), who is 78 years old, lost his bid for a 15th consecutive term in office to former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, a candidate backed by the progressive Working Families Party.
Larson had previously sought to energize progressive voters by equating U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement with Nazi paramilitary groups, including the SS and Gestapo.
With 99% of votes counted, Bronin secured 54.2% of the vote compared to Larson’s 33%.
Speaking after his victory, Bronin emphasized generational change: “If we are going to fix this mess that we are in, we need to build a Democratic Party that is bringing a whole new energy to this fight,” he told supporters.
“The goal is to shake things up in Washington, D.C., and we are just getting started,” he added.
Concerns about Larson’s age and health came to the forefront when he suffered a complex partial seizure during a speech on the House floor last year.
The race also highlighted broader challenges for establishment Democrats. In Wisconsin, socialist Francesca Hong narrowly lost to an establishment candidate in the Democratic primary for governor, having been backed by Reps. Ilhan Omar (Minn.) and Ro Khanna (Calif.).
Larson concluded his campaign with a call for Democrats to “come together, heal, and move forward.”
His defeat is seen as a bellwether for other incumbent Democrats across New England facing pressure from progressive forces.
Bronin will face Republican nominee Amy Chai in the general election, though his seat in Congress is almost certain given Connecticut’s left-leaning electorate.
