Luke Bronin
Luke Bronin (Democratic Party) is running for election to the U.S. House to represent Connecticut's 1st Congressional District. He is on the ballot in the general election on November 3, 2026. He advanced from the Democratic primary on August 11, 2026.
Bronin (Democratic Party) was the mayor of Hartford, Connecticut. He assumed office on January 1, 2016. He left office on January 1, 2024. Bronin did not run for re-election to Mayor of Hartford in 2023.
Bronin was a Democratic candidate for governor of Connecticut in the 2018 election. Bronin suspended his campaign on April 16, 2018.[1]
Elections
2026
See also: Connecticut's 1st Congressional District election, 2026
Connecticut's 1st Congressional District election, 2026 (August 11 Democratic primary)
Connecticut's 1st Congressional District election, 2026 (August 11 Republican primary)
General election
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
General election for U.S. House Connecticut District 1
Luke Bronin and Amy Chai are running in the general election for U.S. House Connecticut District 1 on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Luke Bronin (D) | |
 | Amy Chai (R)  | |
| ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Connecticut District 1
Luke Bronin defeated incumbent John Larson, Jillian Gilchrest, and Ruth Fortune in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Connecticut District 1 on August 11, 2026.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Luke Bronin | 53.5 | 17,587 |
 | John Larson | 34.7 | 11,417 | |
 | Jillian Gilchrest | 6.8 | 2,250 | |
 | Ruth Fortune | 5.0 | 1,639 | |
| Total votes: 32,893 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Jack Perry (D)
- Mark Stewart Greenstein (D)
- Tom McCormick (D)
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Amy Chai advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Connecticut District 1.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Earvin Eugene (R)
Endorsements
Luke Bronin received the following endorsements. To send us additional endorsements, click here.
2023
Luke Bronin did not file to run for re-election.
2018
Bronin sought election to the office of governor of Connecticut in 2018. He suspended his campaign on April 16, 2018.[1]
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
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Campaign website
Bronin's campaign website stated the following:
A Note from Luke:
Our country is in crisis. We’re witnessing unprecedented corruption, abuse of power, and an all-out assault on our Constitution. Our government isn’t working. And for too long, most Americans have felt like our economy isn’t working, either. They’re right.
We need to defeat Trump and the MAGA movement. But being against Trump isn’t enough. We need to put forward a clear agenda – and deliver. Here are some of my thoughts and priorities, from combatting corruption to bringing down costs.
Policy matters. But to get any of this stuff done, we need members of Congress who are out there every day building the political movement to make it possible. That’s why it’s so important to get new energy, new ideas, and new perspectives in Washington – right now.
Over the course of the campaign we’ll add to this page, and follow me on social to hear my latest views on policy issues. If you have a policy idea you want our campaign to consider, email us: ideas@broninforcongress.com.
– Luke B.
Bringing Down Costs
High costs are crushing almost everyone but the wealthiest Americans – housing, healthcare, electricity, groceries, childcare and eldercare. We need to build more housing, produce cheaper renewable energy, and make sure markets actually work to give consumers real choices.
As a member of Congress, I will focus relentlessly to make life easier and more affordable.
Policy choices have directly driven up costs. The biggest example is Trump’s tariffs and unnecessary trade wars. But we’ve also made it way too hard and costly to build housing. We’ve prohibited Medicare and Medicaid from negotiating drug prices on all but a handful of drugs. And we’ve turned a blind eye when the consolidation of corporate power reduces competition and drives up costs.
In some areas, we need to make investments that the private sector won’t make on its own. For example, expanding the supply of clean energy, building a modern electric grid, and building 21st century transit.
Making things more affordable means being serious about how markets actually work and recognizing when they don’t. It means fixing bottlenecks that artificially drive up prices, from permitting delays to outdated regulations. It means making smart public investments. And it means doing everything possible to create more good, well-paid jobs.
Abolishing ICE & Fixing Our Immigration System
We need to end the cruelty and lawlessness of the Trump administration immediately.
No more masked agents going door to door asking Americans for their papers, profiling people based on the color of their skin, and arresting and detaining hard-working people without warrants or cause.
I’ve outlined a plan to stop ICE’s lawlessness in the short term while working to abolish and replace or rebuild ICE from the ground up in the longer term.
And once we’ve stopped the cruelty and the assault on our constitution, we need to finally fix our immigration system.
Our immigration system has been broken for decades, and everybody knows it. We need a common-sense system that is orderly, humane, and fair: secure borders, fair and timely asylum processing, legal pathways that encourage more legal immigration, and enforcement that respects the due process of law.
And that starts with recognizing that immigration is, and has always been, a source of vitality, strength, and economic growth in America. Here's my plan:
Immediate Priorities
Democrats must use the leverage they have now — including Senate rules and funding deadlines — to force real accountability.
- Leverage the government funding process in the Senate to demand immediate reforms. Democrats must condition support for the Homeland Security Department budget on meaningful immigration reforms — including a ban on masks, warrant requirements for arrests, visible identification for officers, an end to racial profiling, reforms to ICE’s recruitment and training practices, and accountability for abuse and law-breaking.
- Demand full, independent investigations into the murders of Renee Nicole Good, Alex Pretti, and other violent incidents, including ICE use-of-force policies and chain of command. Hold field hearings on ICE abuses nationwide, and document instances of abuse, violent conduct, and violation of constitutional rights.
- Support impeachment of Secretary Kristi Noem. Democrats should unite behind articles of impeachment for Kristi Noem for undermining transparency, obstructing Congressional access to facilities, and violating the public trust by directing violent, unaccountable enforcement tactics. Resignation is not the end of accountability.
Structural Reform After Winning Majorities
- Abolish ICE, which has only existed since 2003. Long-term reform should include a reversal of the post-9/11 establishment of ICE inside of the Department of Homeland Security. The 2003 shift split up the Immigration and Naturalization Service, establishing an enforcement agency divorced from the broader mission of implementing a comprehensive immigration policy consistent with American traditions. ICE has become a lawless, unaccountable, poorly-run agency. Immigration enforcement authority must once again sit within an agency dedicated to a broader mission.
- Return immigration enforcement to a public-safety-centered model with appropriate limits on use of force and respect for the rule of law and constitutional rights. Immigration enforcement plays an important role in public safety, but it has to include due process and a focus on violent offenders. It must focus on making communities safer, not creating and promoting chaos.
- Go back on offense to push for the comprehensive immigration reform that Americans know we need: secure borders, fair and timely asylum processing, citizenship for DACA recipients, legal pathways that encourage more legal immigration, and enforcement that respects the due process of law and basic human dignity. Immigration is a source of strength, vitality, renewal, and growth, and Democrats shouldn’t be afraid to say that.
Protecting Medicare, Medicaid, & Pushing for Universal Healthcare
Our healthcare system is broken. Healthcare costs keep going up. Health insurance depends too much on where you work. Even when you have good coverage, it can feel impossible to navigate the healthcare system. And on top of all that, we spend more money on healthcare than any other nation, with worse results.
The answer isn’t small adjustments. It’s big change.
We need to protect and strengthen Medicare and Medicaid, negotiate down the price of prescription drugs, and push for universal, affordable healthcare. We need a strong public option so that any American who wants to participate in Medicare can do so.
Every single American should have access to primary and preventive care. And we need to get rid of the ridiculous administrative costs and unnecessary middlemen that suck up so much money in the healthcare system.
In the near term, we must pass the Break Up Big Medicine Act, a bipartisan bill put forward by an unlikely alliance: Elizabeth Warren and Josh Hawley.
The healthcare industry is consolidating like crazy. The same big corporations are taking control of insurance, pharmacy benefit management, pharmacies, medical practices and healthcare providers. And they’re extracting massive profit. Healthcare monopolies aren’t healthy for our country. In Congress, I’ll fight to break up healthcare monopolies to protect Americans from extracting profit at the expense of affordable, accessible healthcare.
We also have a chance to save lives and save money by investing in research and development to help diagnose disease early and develop new treatments and cures, for everything from chronic conditions to cancer.
Building More Housing
The housing crisis is one of the biggest issues facing Connecticut.
Young people can’t find or afford a place to rent, young families can’t find or afford to buy a home, and our seniors who want to downsize but stay in their communities just can’t do it. It’s hurting our families, our communities, and our state.
One of the biggest reasons is that we just don’t build enough housing, here or across the country.
As a member of Congress, one of my top priorities will be making sure that the federal government gets serious about housing.
We need to incentivize smart development around transit.
We need more flexible federal financing tools, to help communities build a mix of market rate and affordable housing in a way that’s healthy for neighborhoods.
We need to accelerate the use of new materials to bring down costs.
And we need to make sure that slumlords and absentee-landlords can be held accountable.
Affordable Childcare & Eldercare
Childcare and eldercare costs are forcing families into impossible choices.
These costs fall hardest on women and working families, and they hold back the entire economy by sidelining people who want to be working. Meanwhile, caregivers themselves are underpaid and undervalued.
We need to treat care as essential and worthy of fair pay, especially as so many more Americans live longer into old age.
That means expanding access to affordable childcare and eldercare, raising wages for caregivers, and helping families pay for care without going broke.
Supporting care isn’t just about compassion. It’s smart economic policy.
Safeguarding Reproductive Freedom
Reproductive freedom is a basic human right.
Every woman must have the right to decide what to do with her body, what is best for her health, and when, how, and whether she wants to start a family. Roe v Wade must be codified in federal law.
As Mayor, I led the passage of one of the first ordinances in the country to protect against the abuses of crisis pregnancy centers, which often mislead women who are seeking reproductive care. That ordinance became a model for legislation in the state of Connecticut.
And as a member of Congress, I will fight to make sure that my two daughters have the same rights as their mother and grandmothers had, no matter where they live in this country.
Taking Climate Change Seriously
Climate change isn’t some distant future threat. It’s now. And it’s going to get worse, quickly – with extreme weather including droughts, heat waves, floods, and hurricanes.
The Trump administration is doubling down on dirty and inefficient fossil fuels, data centers threaten to suck up more and more energy, and our planet is on track to hit dangerous tipping points.
We need a massive commitment to more affordable, clean energy. Solar, wind, hydro, fuel cells, nuclear, and building better batteries.
We need to build quickly and at scale. That means streamlining red tape that makes it too hard and costly to build. It means using smart public investments to accelerate the transition. And it means modernizing our energy grid.
We also need to help communities adapt to extreme weather and support the research that can help us mitigate the worst effects of climate change, now and over the long term.
Fighting Corruption
When I served on the anti-corruption task force in Afghanistan, I saw what it looks like when a culture of corruption takes hold in a country. The public loses all trust, a small group of well-connected people benefit, and everyone pays a heavy price.
Today, we’re witnessing the most brazen corruption in our nation’s history. The President is enriching himself, his family, and his friends at the public’s expense every day, enabled by a small group of ultra-wealthy individuals, corporations, and even foreign governments that are all-too-happy to buy influence. Meanwhile, industry Super PACs have flooded our political system with money that keeps Congress from making the big changes we need.
We need to cut that corruption out like a cancer.
That means overturning Citizens United to get dark money out of politics, restricting the President’s unlimited pardon power, and rolling back the sweeping immunity that the Supreme Court has given the President. Doing it right will take a Constitutional amendment, and we need to fight to do it right.
And we need to get to work immediately to tighten ethics rules, enforce the law without fear or favor, ban Congressional stock trading, and ensure that no one — not presidents, not billionaires, not public officials — is above the law.
Creating a Fair Tax Code
The tax code is riddled with loopholes that reward wealth over work and allow those at the top to avoid paying what they owe. Meanwhile, working families and small businesses carry the burden, and we’re building up debt at a level that’s going to bankrupt our kids and grandkids.
We need a tax system that is progressive, fair, simple, and enforced. That means closing ridiculous loopholes, making it harder to shield huge fortunes from taxes for generation after generation, and ensuring the wealthiest Americans and biggest corporations actually pay their fair share.
Why does this matter? Because right now, we’re racking up levels of deficits and debt that are going to crush our economy in the long-run. We’re literally borrowing from our kids to fund loopholes for the ultra-wealthy today.
Here's my plan:
1. Close Ridiculous Loopholes
End multiple loopholes that benefit only the wealthiest Americans, from the carried interest loophole which lets hedge fund managers treat their fees as capital gains, to the loopholes that allow wealthy families to avoid tax liabilities by borrowing against their assets and passing investments onto their heirs without paying capital gains.
Curb permanent wealth concentration by increasing the estate tax and ending dynastic trusts, so the ultra-wealthy can’t shield assets that exist in perpetuity, indefinitely transferring wealth across generations while avoiding gift, estate, and generation-skipping transfer taxes.
2. Make the Wealthiest Americans and the Biggest Corporations Pay a Fairer Share
Make the richest Americans pay a fairer share by reversing decades of tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy, rolling back Trump’s tax cut for high income earners, and adding two new top income tax brackets.
Make the capital gains tax more progressive so earnings from long-term investments aren’t taxed at far, far lower rates than ordinary income.
Make big corporations pay what they owe by restoring the corporate tax rate back to the pre-Trump rate of 35% or at minimum to 28%, while shutting down offshore tax avoidance schemes that allow corporations to dodge taxes by offshoring profits.
Actually enforce tax laws against the wealthiest Americans and biggest corporations, which use armies of lawyers and accountants to dodge what they owe — and which the Trump administration has made easier by gutting the IRS.
Reducing Gun Violence
Gun violence isn’t an abstract issue for me. As Mayor, I’ve sat in too many living rooms with parents or grandparents who’ve lost kids to gun violence. I’ve been to too many funerals and watched children grieving the death of their friends.
I’ve also seen that smart prevention, effective policing, and common-sense gun laws can actually make a difference.
As General Counsel to Connecticut’s Governor in the wake of the massacre at Sandy Hook, I helped to write the comprehensive set of common-sense gun laws that made Connecticut a model when it comes to gun safety.
As mayor, I supported new and expanded prevention initiatives and also demanded real accountability for people involved in gun violence.
As a member of Congress, I’ll bring that same commitment to Washington.
I’ll fight for common-sense gun laws like universal background checks, an assault weapons ban, safe storage laws, red-flag laws, firearms education, accountability for repeat violent offenders, and serious consequences for gun dealers and gun manufacturers who break the law.
I’ll support vital community violence prevention work like violence interrupters and hospital-based violence intervention programs.
And I’ll work to reverse the Trump administration’s damaging cuts to ATF, which is a vital partner in helping to trace crime guns and identify the illegal gun dealers that flood our streets with guns. ATF needs to be strengthened, not cut.
Educating Our Kids
As a Member of Congress, I’ll fight to expand support to quality classroom education across the country, from early childhood education all the way through to affordable pathways to college or skilled trades.
In this age of addictive algorithms and short attention spans, we should ban phones in schools. Period.
We should invest more in people, with smaller class sizes, stronger teacher training and recruitment, better teacher pay.
And we need to make sure schools are actually using the best practices that we know actually work to help kids learn.
As artificial intelligence comes at us fast, it’s more important than ever that every single child in America is prepared to be a strong critical thinker.
We need to double down on the fundamentals of reading, math, science, and history.
We need to help students learn the social skills of listening, disagreement, and debate.
And we need to make sure that every child, regardless of where they live, gets full and fair access to arts and sports.
Building Modern Infrastructure
Just as we don’t build enough housing, we also don’t build enough transit, modern infrastructure, or produce enough energy. And the result is higher rents and home prices, higher electricity prices, trains that go slower than they did a century ago, and slower economic growth.
We’re also seeing more and more communities struggle to upgrade the infrastructure that was built decades or even a century ago. Sewer systems. Stormwater systems. Waste disposal.
You may not think a lot about those things, but as a former Mayor, I think about them a lot.
Because most communities won’t be able to handle those costs on their own. Look at what happened in Waterbury last year, when their water main collapsed.
We need to make it faster and cheaper to build what we need. That means modernizing permitting, cutting unnecessary red tape, and investing at scale in modern infrastructure.
As a member of Congress, I’ll fight to expand on the infrastructure law that was passed by Democrats a few years ago – and also to make sure that we build faster and more efficiently, so that we get stuff done and treat taxpayer dollars like they matter.
And at a time when AI threatens to kill a lot of jobs in the short term, investing in infrastructure is a critically important way to put people to work on good-paying jobs that make a difference.
Strengthening Social Security
The Democratic Party created Social Security nearly a century ago, and we’ve protected it ever since.
It’s more than a promise — it’s earned. And it needs to be secure for generations to come.
As a member of Congress, I’ll work to ensure that Social Security is there for everyone who’s receiving it now, and for everyone who’s paying into it now and depending on it in the future.
Getting the Balance Right with Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence is transforming our economy, our workforce, and our world faster than our laws and protections have kept pace.
It’s important that the United States continue leading the world in AI development, but we need to make sure it works for people, not just tech companies.
As a Member of Congress, my job will be to make sure AI innovation means more money in your pocket, not less.
We should do everything we can to get the benefits of AI – from new and faster cures for disease to less time wasted – without letting ourselves be helpless in the face of algorithms that addict our kids to AI-created content that makes it hard to know truth from lies, and machines that act without human input or oversight. We need guardrails.
And we need to make sure that our tax code is fair so that the AI boom doesn’t just supercharge wealth concentration at the top – but instead helps us make new investments in people, in jobs, in infrastructure, in education, and in communities.
— Luke Bronin's campaign website (May 22, 2026)
Campaign finance summary
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See also
2026 Elections
External links
|
Candidate U.S. House Connecticut District 1 |
Personal |
Footnotes
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Mayor of Hartford 2016-2024 |
Succeeded by Arunan Arulampalam (D) |
