Jillian Gilchrest to make it a trio in 1st CD. West Hartford Democrat will run from the left.

Luke Bronin’s bid for the Democratic nomination for Congress from the First Congressional District continues to upend the plans and quiet lives of others. State Representative Jillian Gilchrest had planned to wait to run in the 27-town district until veteran incumbent and retired tier 1 state employee John Larson eventually took a bow and found a perch in the private sector. The 77 year old East Hartford Democrat refuses to cue the exit music.

Gilchrest, who is said to have told Larson some time ago that she would not challenge him, cannot allow Bronin a clear shot at the big prize. When Gilchrest announces her candidacy for the seat on Tuesday, Women’s Equality Day, it will be one more sign that Democrats think Bronin could score a primary victory next August. That would leave Gilchrest to wait and wait for Bronin to move on.

These races are always harder than they look—and this is the first one in which a Connecticut incumbent member of the House has faced a primary—in 55 years of erratic party nominating primaries. Gilchrest brings a formidable work ethic and a cadre of enthusiastic volunteers to the contest. State legislators who rely on public funds for their campaigns often have trouble raising significant amounts of money. Gilchrest has no trouble raising $5,000 every two years. Matching the $500,000 that Bronin announced he raised in his first day as a candidate last month will take some time.

Gilchrest’s entry into the race will likely cause some fissures in the formidable West Hartford Democratic party organization. The town sends a large delegation to nominating convention. Larson and Bronin are unlikely to concede it to Gilchrest. If she fails to sweep the delegates when they are chosen next spring, her candidacy could sputter. On the other hand, if Gilchrest locks up West Hartford and Bronin ices his two competitors out of Hartford and a few other towns, the math begins to look difficult for Larson winning a convention endorsement. That would be a humiliating blow for a candidate seeking a 15th term in the House.

Two early tests will be which candidates can mobilize volunteers and raise money for Democrats in municipal campaigns this fall—in 1st CD towns like Bristol and Middletown. The other measure will be more direct. How the three candidates do with party activists as they appear together at local events between now and November’s local elections. Larson’s appearance at a Rocky Hill event for the town’s Democrats was notable for the absence of a local angle to inspire the troops and renew a connection.

Published August 25, 2025.