Gilchrest scores with Kozin hire as campaign manager. Content may come later.

State Representative Jillian Gilchrest began her campaign to seize the Democratic nomination for Congress in the First Congressional District from 14-term incumbent John Larson with a rickety wobbly appearance in West Hartford but a top tier campaign hire. Accomplished delegate hunter Jacqueline Kozin is Gilchrest’s campaign manager. Kozin delivered the goods at the 2022 Democratic state convention for Stephanie Thomas, the winner of the party’s endorsement for secretary of the state, against considerable odds.

Kozin has held other party positions and is familiar to many local activists in the district’s 27 towns. The hunt for delegates may not be decisive but it will provide endless opportunities for the candidates to embarrass and wound each other. In Connecticut, the winner of the convention usually goes on to victory in the primary.

Gilchrest aimed her arrows at Republicans and Democrats in Washington. “Unfortunately the Republicans aren’t the only ones to blame for where we are as a country,” she said, according to The Courant’s Don Stacom. “We’ve lived through a generation of politics where (campaign) donors came first and working people came last.” That may be Gilchrest’s opening shot against Larson, whose campaign finance reports groan with special interest donations. Larson’s fundraising will provide plenty more to criticize as he relies on his decades in Washington to provide the money he will need to get back in touch with voters at home. Sonoma Restaurant and Wine Bar may enjoy a strong finish to the year.

Gilchrest’s criticism of DC Democrats may not go down well with Richard Blumenthal, Chris Murphy, Rosa DeLauro, and Joe Courtney, Democrats are enjoying long runs in Washington. On issues, Gilchrest offered no policy criticisms. While the difference in age between Larson and his two challengers are stark, both Gilchrest and Luke Bronin will need to point to more than the different number of wrinkles around their eyes to sustain a long campaign against Larson.

Published August 26, 2025.