Rep. John Larson, the Connecticut Democrat who screamed that federal immigration agents were the “SS and the Gestapo,” has suffered a brutal primary defeat after nearly three decades in Congress. Former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin defeated the 14-term incumbent by roughly 21 points in Tuesday’s Democratic primary for Connecticut’s 1st Congressional District. Larson’s loss ended his campaign for a 15th term and made him the seventh House Democrat defeated in a primary during the 2026 election cycle.
Larson, 78, was first elected to Congress in 1998 and became one of Connecticut’s longest-serving federal lawmakers. Bronin, 47, challenged him on the need for younger leadership and previously defeated Larson for the state Democratic Party’s endorsement at its May convention. The four-way primary also included state Rep. Jillian Gilchrest and Hartford Board of Education member Ruth Fortune.
The public crash out featured in the clip occurred in Newington, Connecticut, in August 2025 after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained seven workers at a local car wash. Larson appeared with protesters following the sting and erupted while referring to agents concealing their faces. Raising his voice and gesticulating at the crowd, Larson compared the federal officers to Nazis.
“This is not Germany,” Larson shouted. “That’s the SS and the Gestapo. This is the United States of America. Unmask yourselves.” Larson later accused the Trump administration of using ICE as a “personal secret police” and described the car wash arrests as “government thuggery,” turning the local deportation operation into a public confrontation.
The congressman didn’t back down after his comments attracted national criticism. Larson later told the Connecticut Mirror that the comparison was “intended to make a point” and said he was not intimidated by the backlash. “If you’re not going to speak out about that, what are you going to speak out about?” Larson said. “If you’re offended by the analogy, well then so be it.”
Larson also released a defiant response after the White House criticized his remarks. “Sick? You know what’s sick, Mr. President—stormtroopers in Newington. Children terrified. Families destroyed,” he said in an official statement. “I stand up for the people I’m sworn to serve. Maybe the President should too.”
Watch Larson’s crash out here:
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The Department of Homeland Security subsequently included Larson on a list of Democrat politicians and organizations it accused of directing inflammatory rhetoric at ICE. DHS specifically cited his “SS” and “Gestapo” remarks while calling on politicians to stop demonizing federal law enforcement, making their work more dangerous and increasing the risks of deadly encounters. Larson embraced the controversy, referring to his inclusion on the department’s list as a “badge of honor” and using it in fundraising appeals.
Larson entered Tuesday’s primary with endorsements from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and the rest of Connecticut’s congressional delegation, but those endorsements did not rescue him. With all precincts reporting, Bronin received approximately 54% of the vote while Larson finished with only 33%, according to WFSB. Gilchrest and Fortune divided the remainder of the vote, leaving Larson more than 20 points behind the winner.
Bronin outraised the longtime congressman during the campaign, bringing in approximately $3.1 million compared with Larson’s $2.7 million as of late July. His campaign concentrated on Larson’s age and tenure. “John Larson is a good man, but he’s been in Congress since the ’90s,” Bronin said in a campaign advertisement. “The stakes are just too high to keep doing the same thing.”
Larson conceded after the result became clear and thanked the elected officials and supporters who remained with him through the primary. “In some respects, I feel apologetic that I let them down,” he told supporters gathered at his election-night event. Bronin, meanwhile, described the result as a “political earthquake in Connecticut” and will face Republican nominee Dr. Amy Chai in November.
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video.