BRISTOL, Conn. – John B. Larson has a booming voice, a thick head of white hair and almost 14 terms in Congress under his belt.
But at 78, the Democrat still sees himself as the scrappy kid raised in public housing in a working-class Hartford suburb.
“I’m proud to stand with labor because I know what side of the street I grew up on,’’ Larson told an audience of cheering union activists here on a recent Saturday. “God bless the labor movement.”
Larson’s approach to politics is a throwback to a folksy, fist-pounding brand of Democratic populism, calibrated for an era when seniority was sacrosanct and incumbents — especially in Connecticut — were rarely challenged. In a state whose unofficial motto is “The Land of Steady Habits,” no sitting House member has ever faced a primary, the Connecticut Mirror recently observed.
But this year, three Democrats have eyes on Larson’s 1st District seat: former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, Hartford school board member Ruth Fortune and state Rep. Jillian Gilchrest.
