U.S. House · Connecticut's 1st District
Hartford and its surrounding suburbs, including West Hartford, Bloomfield, East Hartford, Manchester, and Windsor
General election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026
RESULT · UNOFFICIAL UNTIL CERTIFIED
Luke Bronin, projected winner
| Candidate | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Luke Bronin | 170,455 | 67.3% |
| Amy Chai | 78,461 | 31% |
| Mary Sanders | 4,435 | 1.8% |
About 99% of the expected vote counted. As of November 9. Winners take office next year. Counts can change until states certify. NBC News ↗
Sources re-checked September 25, 2026 · How we research
- This is an open seat. 14-term incumbent Rep. John Larson lost the August 11, 2026 Democratic primary to former Hartford mayor Luke Bronin, who won with 53.5% of the vote to Larson's 34.7%. The Republican primary was canceled and Amy Chai advanced unopposed.[1]
On the November 3 ballot · 3 candidates
Issue evidence — side by side
Recorded votes, documented positions and candidates’ own words are shown with sources. “In their own words” quotes a candidate on the topic without inferring a stance. Votes describe specific bills or motions; they do not establish overall support or opposition to a broad issue. A dash means our research has no evidence on that topic, not that the candidate has no position.
Protect legal access to abortion
- Luke BroninSupports[2]
Says reproductive freedom is a basic human right and that Congress must pass federal protections for abortion access nationwide.
- Amy Chai—
- Mary L. Sanders—
Stricter gun laws
- Luke BroninSupports[2]
Supports universal background checks, an assault weapons ban, safe-storage laws, and red-flag laws.
- Amy Chai—
- Mary L. Sanders—
Expand immigration enforcement and deportations
- Luke BroninOpposes[2]
Calls for abolishing ICE and says he wants to stop what he describes as the agency's lawlessness in the short term while working to eliminate it in the long term.
- Amy Chai
- Mary L. Sanders—
Loosen zoning rules to build more housing
- Luke BroninSupports[2]
Says making the federal government 'get serious about housing' will be one of his top priorities in Congress.
- Amy Chai—
- Mary L. Sanders—
Raise taxes on high earners or corporations
- Luke BroninSupports[2]
Says the tax code should be more progressive, closing loopholes so the wealthiest Americans and biggest corporations 'actually pay their fair share.'
- Amy ChaiSupports[3]
Says she would shift taxation toward the financial industry and away from earned income, and would eliminate the self-employment tax.
- Mary L. Sanders—
Expand public health coverage
- Luke BroninSupports[2]
Says Congress should protect and strengthen Medicare and Medicaid, negotiate down prescription drug prices, and push for universal, affordable healthcare.
- Amy Chai—
- Mary L. Sanders—
Research notes & limits
Neither candidate had FEC campaign-finance totals in the sources reviewed; those figures are added separately by script. Amy Chai's positions are drawn from her 2025 Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey and her campaign website issues page (chaiforcongress.com/issues); neither directly addresses guns or abortion. Bronin's family details were omitted because his campaign pages and Wikipedia differ on them; Chai's biography relies largely on her own Ballotpedia Candidate Connection responses, and no independent news profile was found.
Sources · 18
Researched 2026-09-25. Green citations are official government records.
- 1.United States House of Representatives elections in Connecticut, 2026 · Ballotpedia Reference
- 2.Luke's Priorities for Connecticut · Luke Bronin for Congress Candidate's own words
- 3.Amy Chai — Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey · Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey · 2025 Candidate's own words
- 4.Hartford, Connecticut · Wikipedia Reference
- 5.The Issues We Face in America · Amy Chai campaign website Candidate's own words
- 6.United States House of Representatives elections in Connecticut, 2026 · Ballotpedia Reference
- 7.Luke Bronin · Ballotpedia Reference
- 8.Luke's Priorities for Connecticut · Luke Bronin for Congress Candidate's own words
- 9.Meet Luke Bronin · Luke Bronin for Congress Candidate's own words
- 10.Luke Bronin · Wikipedia · 2026-10-21 Reference
- 11.Connecticut U.S. House District 1 election results 2026 · NBC News News report
- 12.Amy Chai · Ballotpedia Reference
- 13.Amy Chai — Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey · Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey · 2025 Candidate's own words
- 14.About Amy · Chai for Congress · 2026-10-21 Candidate's own words
- 15.Republican Chai to run for Congress in CT's first district · The Bristol Press · 2026-01-16 News report
- 16.U.S. House · Connecticut's 1st District results 2026 · NBC News News report
- 17.United States House of Representatives elections in Connecticut, 2026 - Ballotpedia · Ballotpedia Reference
- 18.U.S. House · Connecticut's 1st District results 2026 · NBC News News report