Jamie Raskin Endorses John Larson for 15th Congressional Term

Jamie Raskin made the trip to Hartford on Monday to back Rep. John Larson for a 15th term in Connecticut’s 1st Congressional District, waving off the obvious tension that comes from a self-styled generational-change champion endorsing a 78-year-old incumbent.

The event was held outside the Old State House. Raskin, the Maryland Democrat who built his national profile as House manager of Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial, stepped into a Democratic primary that’s been heating up since last year. Three challengers have entered the race: Luke Bronin and Ruth Fortune, both from Hartford, and Jillian Gilchrest of West Hartford. Their collective pitch isn’t complicated. Congress needs fresh blood, and Larson has had his turn.

Raskin didn’t pretend that argument doesn’t exist. He just said it’s the wrong argument for this moment.

The Raskin Argument

“I just came here to tell you, John Larson is somebody we need in Washington, and there’s no reason for us to replace him right now in the middle of the biggest fight of our lives,” Raskin said. He told reporters he doesn’t know much about the challengers Larson is facing, which was a strikingly candid admission for a high-profile endorser. What he said he does know is Larson’s standing among House colleagues.

“In Washington, everybody looks to John Larson, and everybody needs John Larson,” Raskin said.

Raskin’s case rests on experience and institutional weight, not ideology. He pointed to Trump’s decision to launch military action against Iran without consulting Congress as one more sign that the rule of law is under sustained assault. Larson has filed articles of impeachment against Trump, a gesture that won’t move through a Republican-controlled Congress but tells you where he’s planted his flag heading into 2026.

Larson himself framed the race in stark terms. “As Jamie said, we’re in the middle of a crisis, probably the most important crisis in my lifetime in this individual that we’re facing,” Larson said. “Now is the time for us to unite as Democrats and to move forward and take on Donald Trump every single day.”

The Contradiction Problem

Here’s what Raskin can’t fully shake: he got where he is by doing exactly what Bronin, Fortune, and Gilchrest are asking Connecticut voters to do.

After the 2024 election, Raskin challenged Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York for the ranking Democrat seat on the House Judiciary Committee. Nadler stepped aside in December 2024 and later announced he won’t seek reelection. Raskin was one of three House Democrats that cycle who successfully bucked the seniority system to displace ranking members. That’s not ancient history. That’s two years ago.

Bronin, the former Hartford mayor who most observers consider Larson’s most serious challenger, hit that contradiction hard. “Jamie Raskin is the perfect example of why it’s so important and so powerful to get new energy and new voices in the Democratic party,” Bronin said, flipping Raskin’s biography into a closing argument for replacing Larson.

It’s a sharp line. When Raskin sat on the January 6th Select Committee and later managed the impeachment trial, he was still a relatively junior member, roughly five years into his congressional career. He didn’t wait for seniority to make his mark. He went and made it.

That’s the tension Raskin’s endorsement can’t resolve. He’s telling Connecticut Democrats that Larson’s 13 terms, his institutional relationships, and his age-80 trajectory are features, not bugs. Bronin’s telling those same voters that Raskin’s own career proves the opposite.

The CT Mirror reported on the endorsement Monday as the 1st Congressional District primary continues to take shape. The 04 filing deadline will sharpen the field, and Raskin’s appearance gives Larson a prominent name to put in front of donors and activists. Whether it moves primary voters is a separate question entirely.