Hakeem Jeffries made a campaign stop in Hartford on Thursday night that contributed nothing to the cause of flipping at least three seats in Congress, giving Democrats the majority and making him the first Black speaker to lead the U.S. House of Representatives.

Jeffries, 55, the New York congressman on the threshold of history, made no attempt to claim otherwise as he headlined a rally and hosted a fundraiser for Congressman John B. Larson, who faces his first Democratic primary in 28 years since winning a seat that Democrats never worry about holding.

His efforts on behalf of Larson were personal, not political. The 1st Congressional District of Connecticut is competitive, but only in a Democratic primary, not the midterm election in November. A Democrat is certain to win. Jeffries wants it to be Larson.

“We know he’s a good man, and he’s a good friend. And I use that word, y’all, ‘good friend’ in the real sense of the word, not the congressional sense of the word,” Jeffries said, standing on a riser next to Larson at J Under The Dome in the Colt factory complex on Huyshope Avenue. 

“You hear members of Congress use the phrase ‘my good friend?’” Jeffries asked, pausing as though ready to spill a secret. Smiling, he said, “We don’t mean it, y’all. But when it comes to John Larson, I absolutely mean it.”

His remarks were briefly interrupted by hecklers who challenged Jeffries to call for the abolition of ICE and speak out against the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza. Hartford police escorted three men and a woman to the door without incident or arrests.

“I’m from Brooklyn, y’all. This is light work for me.” Jeffries said, making light of the interruption.

Larson, 77, is facing a challenge from former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, state Rep. Jillian Gilchrest of West Hartford and Ruth Fortune, a Hartford school board member.  Winning the Democratic primary in August will be tantamount to election.

There are no wedge issues separating the candidates.

Central to Larson’s campaign are the connections he’s made over 28 years in Congress and nearly a half century in Connecticut politics, a point he made Thursday night to the 200 elected officials and Democratic Town Committee members invited from the 27 cities and towns of CT-1.

“This special evening. I feel blessed to see so many friends and family members and people I’ve known over a lifetime of elective service,” Larson said. “And I’ve always been proud to bring people to Hartford, including President Clinton, President Obama, President Biden, the great John Lewis.”

He mentioned that he always could get Nancy Pelosi, the first woman to wield the speaker’s gavel, to come to Connecticut for political events, including the bocce tournament he holds in his hometown of East Hartford. 

And, now, Hakeem Jeffries.

Bronin, who was meeting with the Democratic Town Committee in New Hartford on Thursday night, began the year with more campaign cash than Larson: $1.5 million to $956,000. Gilchrest had $23,000; Fortune, $33,000.

On the other side of the Colt complex parking lot, Gilchrest hosted a much smaller “Sisterhood Solidarity” event in a modest function room at J Bar. Admission was bringing a feminine hygiene product for a charity, Dignity Grows Hartford. It began at 5 p.m., and only Gilchrest and three other women were there at 5:30 p.m. when unexpected guests arrived.

Larson entered with three campaign staffers carrying bags with two logos, CVS and Larson for Congress. Gilchrest and Larson hugged. He told her the event was for a good cause — presumably Dignity Grows, not defeating him. Gilchrest accepted the items and thanked them.

Shortly before he arrived, Gilchrest was noting Larson’s advantages of incumbency.

“I think tonight is a perfect example of what is wrong. And to me, what’s wrong in Washington is that money and those with money are driving decisions. And so you see tonight, the example of the potential speaker of the House and highest ranking member of Congress as a Democrat is here in Connecticut, and instead of coming out to listen to people, to hear their concerns, they are charging $5,000 to access him. And that’s what it’s about.”

Admission to the rally where Jeffries spoke was free. It was followed by a smaller fundraising dinner with several tiers of donations, none disclosed by the Larson campaign.

Another advantage of incumbency is that Gilchrest, a leader of the reproductive rights caucus in the General Assembly, has little chance of accessing abortion-rights donors that a group like Emily’s List could provide.

“People bring that up quite a bit, but I believe they have a policy where they don’t go against a pro-choice incumbent,” Gilchrest said.

Throughout his career, Larson has been a supporter of abortion rights.,

Bronin suggested in a text that Jeffries’s time would have been better spent elsewhere.

“With all respect to Leader Jeffries, the Democratic Party would be stronger if our leadership spent less time protecting people who’ve been in Congress for decades and more time working to lift up a new generation of Democrats to help us build a stronger, more energetic, more effective Democratic Party,” Bronin said.

In a brief session with reporters, Jeffries was asked why he is making the effort in a safe Democratic district. 

“I travel the country, and this is an all-hands-on-deck moment, and we need to make sure that we continue to put our best foot forward. We’re going to win the midterm elections in November, but then when we have the gavels in our hands, we’ve got to make sure that we can act decisively on behalf of the American people,” Jeffries said.

Larson stood next to him, listening. 

Jeffries had more to say.

“And at this moment in time, we’ve got to make sure that one of the great members of the House Democratic caucus, John Larson, who’s a tremendous champion for this community, but he’s a tremendous champion for the nation, is part of the team as we tackle issues decisively in the back half of the Trump presidency.”

Earlier, Jeffries told the potential delegates that Larson offered a strong voice of opposition to a demagogic president and administration intent on destroying the check and balances established in America over more than two centuries.

“John Larson knows we don’t work for Donald Trump,” Jeffries said. “We don’t work for JD Vance. We don’t work for their billionaire donors. We work for all of you, the American people.”