Larson could face primary with progressive candidate
Muad Hrezi has raised about $500,000 in his long-shot bid to unseat veteran U.S. Rep. John Larson, D-1, despite a lackluster showing at the Democratic nominating convention last month.
Hrezi, a former substitute teacher who worked as a staffer for U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, is challenging Larson from the left as progressive candidates across the country seek to bring new faces and more left-leaning policies to the Democratic Party amid record outside spending in some recent House primary races.
“The message is really quite simple,” Hrezi, 27, said in a recent interview. “It's time for new blood.”
Larson, 72, was first elected to Congress in 1998 and is believed to be in one of his party's safest seats ahead of the 2022 midterms. He has not faced a primary challenger in 24 years.
“John welcomes every candidate to the race, and he takes every campaign seriously. We believe that voters want someone they can count on to show up for them every single day. John shows up,” Owen Hooks Davis, Larson's campaign spokesman, said in a written statement.
Hrezi, a Libyan American whose parents sought asylum in the U.S. from the Gaddafi regime, grew up in the Naugatuck Valley and now lives in East Hartford. He said corporate money is driving the agenda in
Washington and he accused Larson of being too close to the defense and health care industries that dominate his district.
Hrezi said he and Larson differ on how to address some of the most important issues to voters such as health care. Hrezi supports Medicare for All and said Larson's Medicare buy-in plan “doesn't meet the moment.” Larson has said his proposal would achieve the same goal as Medicare for All without getting rid of private insurance.
At the Democratic convention, Hrezi received just 14 delegate votes to Larson's 390. He is now seeking to petition his way onto the primary ballot, which requires
gathering signatures from 2 percent, or nearly 4,000, of registered Democrats in the 1st District.
Connecticut's petitioning process is more stringent than many other states, he said. As of the weekend, he'd gathered more than 3,000 signatures. He has until 4 p.m. on June 7 to submit his primary petition.
“We're stationed at economic hubs – downtown Hartford, Blue Back Square,” Hrezi said. “We're knocking on doors. We're going to community events, senior centers.”
Hrezi said his failure to garner more support from Democratic delegates had more to do with establishment politics and a nominating process that benefits entrenched incumbents, rather than enthusiasm for his campaign.
He's raised more money than all five Republican endorsed candidates for Congress in Connecticut including former state legislator George Logan, who is considered the GOP's best chance at turning a blue seat red. Logan had raised $373,160 as of the end of April with $187,411 cash on hand.
Still, Hrezi's fundraising was less than half of what Larson has raised so far — $1.1 million, as of the end of April, and $841,353 cash on hand. Hrezi had raised $497,872 at that point and had $165,597 in available cash. Their next campaign finance reports are due in July.
Hrezi has vowed not to take any money from political action committees. His campaign finance reports show many of the contributions received have been for $100 or less. Larson's campaign said Hrezi's campaign is largely being supported by donors outside of Connecticut.
“Our opponent has raised big sums of money from donors in California and elsewhere, but more than three quarters of his money comes from out of state. John listens to the voters, leads in Washington, and delivers for the district, and that's why voters trust him,” said Hooks Davis.
Hrezi asserted that he has strong backing from Connecticut residents, whom he called the “engine” behind his campaign. “Our donor base reflects the diversity of the supporters we have and the coalition we're building,” he said.