Behind in the high-stakes fundraising battle, state Rep. Jillian Gilchrest is calling for public financing of federal campaigns in similar fashion to Connecticut’s system.
Gilchrest, a West Hartford Democrat who is running for Congress, said the public financing system is needed at the federal level to reduce the influence of big-money campaigns that are often dominated by Super PACs, lobbyists, and special interest funding.
Gilchrest has raised only $54,000 in the race so far, compared to more than $1 million each for U.S. Rep. John B. Larson of East Hartford and former Hartford mayor Luke Bronin. While Connecticut races have shown that the candidate with the most money does not always win, money is still among the key factors that show the strength of a candidate’s support.
The proposal is modeled after the state system in Connecticut, which requires candidates to raise small-dollar contributions from individuals before receiving a public grant from the state to help pay for the campaign.
CT Rep. Larson, Bronin in fundraising battle. Gilchrest calls it ‘p—ing contest’ over money
“Although not perfect, Connecticut has changed significantly since we enacted public financing,” Gilchrest told The Courant in an interview. “It’s given many different types of candidates an opportunity to run for office, which I think is needed because who serves in elected positions should really reflect the people. We now have folks who are teachers, nurses, small business owners. I have been told, back in the day, that it was a lot of lawyers. Nothing against lawyers, but we need folks elected into office who represent the people they serve.”
With Republican Donald Trump in the White House and Republicans controlling the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, Gilchrest said she does not see Congress changing the system any time soon.
“I’m not naive,” Gilchrest said. “I don’t see this happening in the next year, two years, three years. This proposal can build momentum and could get across the finish line at some point. … I don’t think it would happen with a Trump presidency and with Republicans in control of Congress. A real frustration right now is that the Democratic Party doesn’t have a vision, and so we need to actually lay out for people what the government can be and how we can do things. In order to do things differently, we need to change how the system works, and this is a step in that direction.”
Instead of taking the traditional route of spending much of her time on fundraising, Gilchrest said she started her congressional campaign by reaching out directly to voters.
“It wasn’t my top focus,” Gilchrest said of fundraising. “This campaign is different. It’s about going out and listening to people. … I was never going to have $1 million on Day One. I don’t have friends that are worth $1 million. … I’m refusing to play the game that was created by this old boys club. I’m connecting with real people, not just donors on a Rolodex.”
The maximum contribution for congressional candidates is $3,500 for the primary and another $3,500 for the general election. A supporter can contribute $7,000 now, but the remaining $3,500 could not be spent if the candidate does not reach the general election in November 2026, officials said.
The candidates are battling in the 27-town district, which includes Hartford, West Hartford, East Hartford, Bristol, and Southington before stretching to the Massachusetts border.
The two frontrunners in the race, Larson and Bronin, both said that they agree with campaign finance reforms.
Public financing, Larson said, is “long overdue for Congress,” adding that he has been battling to improve the system for more than 15 years.
“I introduced legislation back in 2008 to establish a national public financing system modeled after Connecticut’s successful Citizens Election Program, one of the most effective systems in the country for empowering voters over special interests,” Larson said. “When I chaired the House Task Force on Election Reform, I helped author the For the People Act, comprehensive legislation to create a small-dollar matching system for campaign contributions, end partisan gerrymandering nationwide, and secure our elections.”
While the bill was passed twice in the House, it never became law. If the Democrats win back the U.S. House in 2026, Larson vows that the bill will be among among the party’s highest priorities.
“At a time when Donald Trump and his allies are undermining faith in our elections and promoting an authoritarian agenda, these reforms are essential to protecting our democracy,” Larson said Thursday.
In the same way, Bronin has been pushing for campaign finance reform. He has called for a constitutional amendment to overturn the Citizens United ruling, a highly controversial, 5-4 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2010 that allows unlimited spending by third parties in campaigns.
Bronin has also refused to accept corporate political action committee money and has repeatedly called on Larson to do the same. Larson, however, has not complied with the request.
Larson, who has served in Congress since winning a multi-candidate battle in 1998, has relied on money from corporate PACs for more than half of his campaign funds in the last five elections over the past 10 years, according to public records. That money includes contributions from committees operated by insurance, finance, real estate, health care, and defense interests, among others. Of the PAC money, about 85% is from business interests and about 12% from labor groups, according to Open Secrets, which tracks political money for congressional candidates in all 50 states.
“Every Democrat should be fighting for big changes, like overturning Citizens United and getting hidden money out of politics,” Bronin said in a statement Thursday. “But without changing a single law, every candidate can reject corporate PAC contributions like I have, and it’s disappointing that John Larson continues to run his campaigns with corporate PAC money. I’m proud that we raised our support from more than 1,000 individual donors, without taking a dollar of corporate PAC money.”
Besides Larson, Bronin, and Gilchrest, the candidates in a potential Democratic primary in August 2026 include 35-year-old Southington town council member Jack Perry and 37-year-old Hartford attorney Ruth R. Fortune. Perry has raised $528,000, including a personal loan of $500,000 after he sold his family owned garbage-collection business that he started in 2008. Fortune reported having $71,000 in cash on hand at the end of the third quarter on Sept. 30, according to public records.
Longtime Hartford Democratic political operative Matthew J. Hennessy, who has contributed to Larson’s campaign, said that Gilchrest’s idea is intriguing but she first must increase her fundraising total.
Concerning the $54,000 raised so far, Hennessy said, “That wouldn’t get you elected mayor of Hartford. It doesn’t make you relevant. That’s for sure.”
Hennessy added, “It’s got to be over $1 million to be credible. You have to show labor unions and constituencies that you are in the game to win. You’re not in the game if you’re under $100,000. You’re just not. It’s nothing personal. That’s just the way it is. I don’t disagree with the point.”
Indivisible endorsement
In another development, Gilchrest has been endorsed by Indivisible Connecticut, a liberal group that is strongly opposed to Trump’s policies and has helped organize rallies against Trump.
Jim Chapdelaine, the founder of Indivisible CT, said that Gilchrest is the best candidate in the race.
“I like Luke and John,” Chapdelaine told The Courant. “But I was on Jillian’s first campaign. I knocked on doors with her. I got involved because we had a House rep who was doing a fine job but hadn’t ever knocked on my door. Jillian knocked on my door three times, and I said you know we have this group. We got to know her and a lot of our members knocked on doors for her.”
Chapdelaine added, “We’ve been with Jillian for a long time. She works harder than anyone I know and just seems like she’s ready to meet that moment. She’s definitely the most progressive, but she’s not inflexible.”
Kaitlin McCallum contributed to this report.
Courant staff writer Christopher Keating can be reached at ckeating@courant.com