Scoop: Ex-mayor raises $1.2M to oust 77-year-old Democratic Rep. John Larson in primary

Former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin raised over $1.2 million in the two months since launching his primary challenge against Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.), Axios has learned.Why it matters: It is a substantial sum sure to put Bronin on a competitive footing with Larson, who has raised over $1 million since January, according to his campaign.Larson, 77, is facing four Democratic primary challengers after suffering a freeze-up during a speech on the House floor in February that his office later said was due to a complex partial seizure.The Connecticut Democrat is one of more than a dozen Democratic incumbents in their 70s and 80s facing primary opposition from foes calling for generational change.By the numbers: Bronin brought in $1,184,699 between July 30 — when he launched his campaign — and the Sept. 30 quarterly fundraising deadline, information that was first obtained by Axios.The 46-year-old former Hartford mayor's fundraising since the deadline has brought his total for 2025 to over $1.2 million, his campaign said.It's a considerable sum for an insurgent candidate challenging a well-entrenched congressional incumbent. Bronin's campaign touted that all the contributions came from individual donors — 73% from Connecticut — as part of his refusal to take corporate PAC money.What they're saying: "I think that there are a lot of people who want to see change in the Democratic Party," Bronin told Axios in a brief phone interview on Sunday.Bronin stressed that he has a "tremendous amount of respect for John Larson and the service he's given over the last 27 years.""But ... I feel strongly that it's time for a change — for our party, for our district, for Washington. And I think there are a lot of people that share that view."The other side: "$1.1 million? I thought he was from Greenwich," Larson said in a statement to Axios, referring to a wealthy Connecticut suburb outside his district."My focus is the people of the First District, and at a time when President Trump and his allies are attacking our democracy, targeting immigrant families, and labeling me an agitator for standing up to them, this campaign is powered by people who know what's at stake."

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