DPH investigating coronavirus test results
Challenger Fay hopes to unseat her former hoops coach, Larson
The Department of Public Health is investigating why virus test results from an urgent care company have not been properly reported to state authorities.
When Republican candidate for Congress Mary Fay talks about her political opponent, she always uses an honorific.
“I’ve known Mr. Larson for a long time,’’ said Fay, referring to U.S. Rep. John Larson, the Democrat she is hoping to unseat.
Old habits die hard: Larson was Fay’s basketball coach and history teacher at East Hartford’s George J. Penney High School in the mid-1970s.
Their shared history has made for a collegial campaign but the two candidates have sharply different visions for the 1st District. Larson has served 22 years in the House of Representatives, following a stint in the Connecticut Senate and a teaching career. An old-school Democrat, he has made promoting Connecticut’s defense industry, reshaping Interstate 84 and preserving and stregthening Social Security three of his signature issues.
Fay, a member of the West Hartford Town Council and whomade an unsuccessful run for the state legislature in 2018, is a supporter of President Trump.
“Trump’s got his demeanor and his way about him that I’m not too crazy about but I do support his policies,’’ she said.
Fay, who is married with a grade-school daughter, would be the first gay woman elected to Congress from Connecticut.
In Larson, she faces a wellknown and well-funded opponent. Democrats hold a voter registration edge over Republicans in the First District, which includes Hartford and the inner-ring suburbs as well as a large chunk of Litchfield County. Larson typically wins with between 60% and 70% of the vote.
“They outnumber us more than 2-1,’’ said Fay, who is 59. “The district’s been gerrymandered to death to favor Democrats.’’
Fay also got a fairly late start, jumping into the race in May at the urging of her fellow Republicans. She edged out Jim Griffin in a primary in August. Larson, in contrast, has not faced a primary challenge since his first run in 1998.
Fay, whose grandfather and