Democrats Chris Murphy and John Larson go way back.
When Murphy was an up-and-coming politician who defeated longtime Republican Rep. Nancy Johnson in 2006 in an upset that surprised some insiders, he started a new career as a member of Connecticut’s Congressional delegation in Washington, D.C.
Larson was one of his mentors back then, and now Murphy is a prominent, three-term U.S. senator who endorsed Larson on Saturday for reelection to a 15th term in Congress in a potentially tight Democratic primary next year.
“It’s hard for me to image the delegation without John,” Murphy told The Courant in a joint interview with Larson. “He’s very often the organizing force in our delegation when we have to all get together around a big Connecticut priority. I’ve seen firsthand the way he’s able to work across the aisle and bring back to Connecticut a lot of key money, especially for the aerospace industry. Hopefully everybody knows this, but Pratt and Whitney would not be making the number of engines it’s making if not for what John did to win a big, key contract for the F-35” fighter jet.”
Murphy added, “But for me, it’s more personal. John is just a great friend and a mentor for me. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t get to do this job if it wasn’t for John supporting me early in my career and then when I was thinking of making the transition to the Senate. John has just been there for me over and over and over again.”
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Larson, now 77, won his first primary for Congress when Murphy was 25 years old, and Murphy has since stepped into the national spotlight as one of the most prominent Democratic critics of Republican President Donald J. Trump.
After winning 14 consecutive elections, Larson is now facing his toughest battle in more than two decades in a potential five-way primary against former Hartford mayor Luke Bronin, state Rep. Jillian Gilchrest of West Hartford, Southington town council member Jack Perry, and Hartford attorney Ruth Fortune.
The Congressional district covers 27 communities that include Hartford, West Hartford, East Hartford, Manchester, Bristol, and Southington. The oddly-shaped district stretches from parts of Middletown to the Massachusetts border in some sections.
Despite endorsing Larson and having widespread influence among Connecticut Democrats, Murphy is not interested in asking anyone to drop out of the race. Instead, he says everyone has the right to run.
“Luke is a close personal friend,” Murphy told The Courant. “We’re the same generation. We came up through politics together. I’m a great admirer of his. I just think John is the better choice. It’s nothing personal. I know Jillian as well and worked really closely with her. I don’t have any issue with them deciding to run.”
He added, “None of us are owed these seats. These are important times, and we should have to prove our mettle. But for me, I just have seen the difference John makes, and I think right now he’s clearly the best person to do this job, even given the fact that there are two other really good Democrats and good human beings running.”
Larson said Murphy’s endorsement is “a badge of honor and pride, and I think something that has a huge impact on people who are following this race.”
Larson noted that he lost the 1994 Democratic gubernatorial primary against liberal Democrat Bill Curry, who later lost to Republican John G. Rowland.
“During that primary, I learned an awful lot,” Larson said. “One thing was to never forget my beginnings or where I came from and how you get to a seat like this. I haven’t lost that focus. It’s going to be a grassroots campaign, and to have the support of people like Chris Murphy is just an incredible boost.”
As one of the state’s top Democrats, Murphy’s voice sends a message to Democrats about support for Larson.
“Not only is he a great senator, but he has national and I daresay global recognition for how he has conducted himself as a United States senator,” Larson said.
Fundraising
Besides battling for delegates at the convention and for voters in a potential primary in August 2026, the candidates are also scrambling for money to run their expensive campaigns.
Bronin immediately captured attention among political insiders by bursting into the fundraising lead with more than $500,000 in the first 24 hours after his campaign kickoff on July 30 and posting $800,000 at the end of two weeks. He collected donations of $1,184,698.72 in the third quarter and said that money collected since the deadline pushed the campaign’s total to more than $1.2 million.
“We know that we’re never going to raise as much as a 27-year incumbent who gets most of his money from corporate PACs, but these first two months show that we’re going to have what we need to compete and make a powerful case for change,” Bronin said recently.
Bronin’s supporters say his total is impressive for a challenger who is running against a 27-year incumbent. Since fundraising essentially never stops for members of Congress, Larson had already raised about $250,000 as of June 30 — one month before Bronin announced he was running on July 30. As a result, Larson raised about $750,000 to $800,000 for the quarter, compared to $1.2 million for Bronin.
The two one-time allies have traded barbs over the source of donations since Bronin in mid-August called on Larson not to accept money from corporate PACs in order to ensure leaders are “putting the interests of working families and the middle class first.”
CT Rep. Larson, Bronin in fundraising battle. Gilchrest calls it ‘p—ing contest’ over money
The issue of age has come up in the campaign at a time when many Democrats remain concerned that President Joe Biden stayed in the race too long and helped contribute to Vice President Kamala Harris’s loss to Republican Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential race.
Bronin, 46, is challenging Larson, who turned 77 on July 22. They are also facing 43-year-old Gilchrest, 35-year-old Perry, and 37-year-old Fortune.
But Larson has been highly energized on the campaign trail, including showing up at public events where he was not among the listed speakers. He told The Courant recently that the battle against Bronin has increased his energy level.
“Well, we always try to be energized, but there’s nothing like a little competition to get your Irish going,” said Larson, an Irish American who is a frequent marcher in the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Hartford.
Murphy said he had no concerns about Larson’s age, noting the congressman was named in September to the Trump administration’s list of more than 30 officials who delivered strong criticisms of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
“There are definitely some people who have been in Washington so long that they have lost the fight,” Murphy said. “John is not anywhere close to that category, and you can just watch clips of him from the House of Representatives in the last six months to see it. He has more verve and outrage about this moment than most anybody in that body. That’s why he gets put on lists by Donald Trump as a dangerous person. There’s no question that John is still operating at the top of the game in a moment when we really need people who can speak authentically and passionately about the stakes of the moment we’re in.”
Christopher Keating can be reached at ckeating@courant.com