Framing a generational challenge as an ideological fight, Congressman John B. Larson’s first television ad tries to engage Democratic primary voters by hitting his younger challenger, former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, as backed by “tech billionaires, crypto bros, AI execs, data centers.”
“Why? Because John Larson will make them pay their fair share,” the ad says. “An original sponsor of the Green New Deal. Author of the Affordable Care Act. The national leader on Social Security. From public housing to the House of Representatives, John Larson fights for us, because he’s one of us.”
The 30-second spot released Tuesday reflects a strategy absent in the first months of Larson’s campaign for a 15th term, when the 77-year congressman argued that none of his challengers differed from him on issues — only that all three of them were at least 30 years younger.
His original message stressing an absence of ideological differences served him poorly, creating an opening for Bronin to make the case that Larson deserved the thanks of voters but not another term. That was the message Bronin’s campaign stressed in a spot first aired two weeks ago.
“I’m running for Congress right now because I think we’ve got to bring a whole different type of energy to this fight. This is the time we’ve got to make changes, for our party and for our country,” Bronin says in his ad. “Because if we’re being honest about things right now, things are deeply broken. I am grateful to everybody who has served in Congress for decades, but we need to send a new generation of Democrats to Washington.”
Bronin is the party-endorsed candidate who narrowly defeated Larson in an upset at the Democratic nominating convention last month in the congressman’s hometown of East Hartford. Larson and Rep. Jillian Gilchrest of West Hartford qualified for a primary Aug. 11.
A fourth candidate, Hartford school member member Ruth Fortune, fell far short of the 15% of the delegate vote to qualify, but she was is awaiting to hear from local registrars if the petitions she filed last week have sufficient valid signatures to place her on the Democratic ballot.
Amanda Sands, a senior advisor to Bronin’s campaign, responded to Larson’s ad as her candidate generally has addressed the congressman.
“John Larson is a good man, and dishonest attacks like this are beneath him,” she said. “Luke is ready to bring a whole new energy to Washington to fight against Trump and to build an economy that actually works for working families and the middle class. John knows that voters are ready for change, so he’s getting desperate — and, unfortunately, dishonest.”
Larson’s ad echoes an argument he made in a conference call with reporters on May 26, when he contended that Bronin’s consulting for The Connecticut Project, a progressive advocacy group, made him an agent of a shadowy network of billionaires.
The congressman did not take issue with any aspect of The Connecticut Project’s agenda for Connecticut, much of which is consistent with federal issues supported by Larson. But he insisted it made Bronin suspect, because a primary funder of the group is billionaire Stephen Mandel. Mandel also is a donor to the nonprofit Connecticut Mirror.
Bronin was paid $237,000 over two years by the group, part of the basis for the opening lines in Larson’s ad: “Who’s behind Luke Bronin? Tech billionaires, crypto bros, AI execs, data centers. They’re bankrolling Bronin’s campaign and even put him on their payroll.”
Those words are uttered by a narrator over a highlighted image of Elon Musk standing with other billionaires behind Donald Trump and his family at his second inauguration.
When the focus turns to Larson, there are flashes of photos of the congressman with Democratic icons: Barack Obama, as the narrator describes Larson as “author of Affordable Care Act,” and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. While Larson was an early and consistent supporter of the Affordable Care Act, calling him “author” of the landmark bill is a stretch.
In May, Bronin personally pushed back at Larson’s characterization of his work for The Connecticut Project.
“It’s bizarre to see John Larson smearing The Connecticut Project, which is one of the most effective progressive policy organizations in the state, which has fought for everything from childcare funding to tenants’ rights to expanding SNAP benefits,” Bronin said. “John Larson is getting desperate.”
