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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

CandidateVotesShare
Luke Bronin170,45567.3%
Amy Chai78,46131%
Mary Sanders4,4351.8%

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 Bronin
    Supports[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 Bronin
    Supports[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 Bronin
    Opposes[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
    In their own words[5]
    “I believe in secure borders.”

    On her campaign website

  • Mary L. Sanders
    —

Loosen zoning rules to build more housing

  • Luke Bronin
    Supports[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 Bronin
    Supports[2]

    Says the tax code should be more progressive, closing loopholes so the wealthiest Americans and biggest corporations 'actually pay their fair share.'

  • Amy Chai
    Supports[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 Bronin
    Supports[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. 1.United States House of Representatives elections in Connecticut, 2026 · Ballotpedia Reference
  2. 2.Luke's Priorities for Connecticut · Luke Bronin for Congress Candidate's own words
  3. 3.Amy Chai — Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey · Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey · 2025 Candidate's own words
  4. 4.Hartford, Connecticut · Wikipedia Reference
  5. 5.The Issues We Face in America · Amy Chai campaign website Candidate's own words
  6. 6.United States House of Representatives elections in Connecticut, 2026 · Ballotpedia Reference
  7. 7.Luke Bronin · Ballotpedia Reference
  8. 8.Luke's Priorities for Connecticut · Luke Bronin for Congress Candidate's own words
  9. 9.Meet Luke Bronin · Luke Bronin for Congress Candidate's own words
  10. 10.Luke Bronin · Wikipedia · 2026-10-21 Reference
  11. 11.Connecticut U.S. House District 1 election results 2026 · NBC News News report
  12. 12.Amy Chai · Ballotpedia Reference
  13. 13.Amy Chai — Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey · Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey · 2025 Candidate's own words
  14. 14.About Amy · Chai for Congress · 2026-10-21 Candidate's own words
  15. 15.Republican Chai to run for Congress in CT's first district · The Bristol Press · 2026-01-16 News report
  16. 16.U.S. House · Connecticut's 1st District results 2026 · NBC News News report
  17. 17.United States House of Representatives elections in Connecticut, 2026 - Ballotpedia · Ballotpedia Reference
  18. 18.U.S. House · Connecticut's 1st District results 2026 · NBC News News report