HARTFORD, Conn. — Declaring that longtime Democratic incumbents in Congress share some blame for the state of the country, state Rep. Jillian Gilchrest on Tuesday announced she’s challenging U.S. Rep. John Larson for the Democratic endorsement next year.

“Right now we need a different type of leadership in D.C.,” Gilchrest told about 60 supporters at a campaign gathering at West Hartford’s Blue Back Square. “This is an emergency.”

“I respect Congressman Larson, I appreciate the work he’s done. But I think we need elected officials who can work on multiple issues at the same time and can be out there pushing for change every single day — and I don’t see that happening.”

Larson, 77 and a 14-term incumbent, has mostly coasted with little or no opposition in recent years, but this time is facing a wave of Democratic challengers including former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, Southington Councilman Jack Perry and Hartford school board member Ruth Fortune.

Democrats generally have been resistant to challenging Larson, who has amassed enormous congressional seniority and easily kept the 1st Congressional District blue since first winning the seat in 1998.

But the steady ascendency of President Donald Trump and his MAGA coalition have pushed many Democrats, and especially progressives, to look for fresh answers.

Gilchrest said Tuesday that she can provide that change, but offered scant specifics about how she would be more effective in reversing the conservative agenda in Washington. Instead, she focused largely on what the Trump Administration — which is profoundly unpopular in West Hartford — is doing wrong.

“With Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans now in full control, we are racing in the wrong direction,” she told her cheering supporters.

“What the Trump Administration is doing is cruel, destructive and dangerous. They are destroying our democracy, obliterating justice and erasing our freedoms. They are slashing Medicaid, public education, food assistance and child care, and using lies and hate to distract us while they take our tax dollars to benefit themselves.”

Gilchrest, a social worker who co-chairs the General Assembly’s Human Services Committee, has built a reputation of working for women’s rights and progressive issues. She said entrenched Democrats have too often lost sight of those goals.

“Unfortunately the Republicans aren’t the only ones to blame for where we are as a country,” she said. “We’ve lived through a generation of politics where (campaign) donors came first and working people came last.

“We can’t bring the change we need by doing the exact same things the exact same way. Instead of chasing dollars and well-connected donors, we’ll be in neighborhoods talking to voters who feel abandoned by Washington,” Gilchrest said.

She contended that elected officials aren’t listening enough.

“Instead of poll-tested talking points I’m interested in understanding people’s lived experiences and translating that into effective public policy,” she said. “Washington has spent too long telling us to wait our turn, lower our expectations or accept that this is just the way it is. If we want to change how Washington works, we need to change who works for us in Washington.”

Gilchrest won election to the 18th House District in 2018 by defeating long-term Democratic incumbent Andy Fleischmann in a tight primary, then handily beating Republican Mary Fay in the general election. Deep-blue West Hartford has given her wide re-election victories in each race since then.

She acknowledged Tuesday that in order to wage the Congressional race, she will not be seeking another term in the state House. She said she’ll serve out the current term, then leave office at the end of 2026.

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