Connecticut primary highlights Congress’ age concerns

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - The Democratic primary election for Connecticut’s first Congressional district highlights how age is becoming a concern for incumbents across the country.

Current first district Rep. John Larson is running for his fifteenth term at age 78. He is facing former Hartford mayor Luke Bronin, who is 47.

In a sit-down interview, Larson said he is running for re-election because he wants to see his efforts through to adjust Social Security benefits.

“I’m running because I’m fulfilling a commitment I made to the people that I grew up with that I would make sure that Social Security, that hasn’t been adjusted in more than 55 years, gets the adjustment that it needs,” Larson said.

Bronin argues the Democratic Party needs more energy to effectively go toe-to-toe with President Donald Trump and the MAGA movement.

“I think this race is about energy and effectiveness and building a Democratic Party that is strong enough to defeat Donald Trump,” explained Bronin.

The U.S. House of Representatives currently has 431 voting members. The average age is 58.6, compared to 41.7 for the overall U.S. workforce, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

At the end of the 119th Congress in December 2026, there will be 95 voting members of the House who are 70 or older. 75 of them ran or are currently running for re-election.

At 78, Larson is not in the top 10 oldest members running to keep their seat. The oldest members running for re-election are Rep. Hal Rogers (R-KY) and Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), who will be 89 and 88, respectively by the end of the current term. Both won their primaries in safe districts, setting them up to be 91 and 90, respectively, at the end of their next term.

Larson wants voters to remember the advantages of electing an older congressman who has seniority in the party.

“If you’re coming to Congress for the first time, you start at the bottom and work your way up,” Larson said. “But if you have the opportunity to send someone who’s going to be a chairman, that means your voice in your district is amplified.”

Larson is poised to be chair of the House Social Security Ways and Means committee if Democrats take control of the House.

”I spent 28 years in Congress, and I’ll come back as the chairman of the Social Security Ways and Means committee,” he added. “That impacts all 330 million Americans. But it impacts the people that I grew up with, 40% of whom, all they ever receive is going to be their Social Security benefits.”

Meanwhile, Bronin, who is still well above the average age of the U.S. workforce, would be one of the 100 youngest members of Congress if he served in the current session.

Gray DC Correspondent Emma Wulfhorst asked him what that tells him about the state of Congress.

“I respect anyone that served in Congress for decades, but I think we would be so much stronger as a Democratic Party if we had more leaders that recognized that part of leadership is knowing when to pass the torch,” said Bronin.

The conversation around “passing the torch” can be difficult for politicians to face. It’s been two years since former President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 election, due mostly to age-related concerns.

So, how will Larson know when it’s time?

“Well, I think everyone does, when you reach that point I think it becomes pretty obvious,” Larson told Gray DC. “And to walk away from what you promised to people for improvements that haven’t taken place in 55 years… this [Social Security] bill is going to be taken up in the first 100 days. I couldn’t walk away from that, and I don’t think anyone else could either.”

A handful of older Democrats have lost their primaries to younger, and often more progressive, candidates this cycle. Rep. Shri Thanedar, 71, recently lost his Michigan thirteenth district primary. Other incumbents who saw similar fates include New York Rep. Adriano Espaillat, 72, and Colorado Rep. Diana DeGette, 69.

Ultimately, the voters have final say about whether a member should return to Capitol Hill. One Hartford voter, who gave the name Deborah, said she is close in age to Larson, which helped inform her decision to support Bronin.

“Age and experience is extremely valuable,” Deborah said. “But I think that looking on a case-by-case basis, whether it’s local representation, Congress, the Senate, and certainly the presidency, I think it really is now time to take a look at, who do we have of the younger generation, who’s got the commitment, the dedication, the morality, the positions that it takes to maybe take more of the helm.”

The Connecticut primary is August 11. All five members of Connecticut’s House delegation are running for re-election.