U.S. House, Connecticut 1st Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in Connecticut's 1st Congressional District?
Luke Bronin has the strongest record in Connecticut's 1st Congressional District. Luke Bronin scores 61 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 6, 2026. Luke Bronin's highest marks are management and relevant experience. Amy Chai (6 of 15 criteria) and Mary L. Sanders (3 of 15 criteria) have too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Democratic
Strongest record
Luke Bronin
61 / 100
Public evidence on 11 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 70
- Performance
- 63
Republican
Amy Chai
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 6 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 45
- Performance
- NR
Green
Mary L. Sanders
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 3 of 15 criteria
- Character
- NR
- Qualifications
- 58
- Performance
- NR
The good, the bad and the unresolved
The record
The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.
Luke Bronin
- On the record2023-10
Settled Hartford's seven-year dispute with fired Dunkin' Park developer Centerplan for $9.9 million after a 2019 jury verdict for the city was undone; city legal fees exceeded $6 million.
Sources: WFSB, Oct. 28, 2023, Patch, Nov. 2023, Hartford Courant via Yahoo Finance, Oct. 2023
- On the record2018
After Hartford's fiscal crisis, the state of Connecticut took responsibility for the city's general obligation debt payments, with the city under Municipal Accountability Review Board oversight.
Source: Bond Buyer, Aug. 7, 2023
- Credit2023-08-04
Moody's upgraded Hartford's issuer rating to investment grade, Baa3 from Ba2, citing increased reserves and stronger budget management; it had rated the city as low as Caa3 in 2017.
Source: Bond Buyer, Aug. 7, 2023
- Credit2023-12-05
Hartford's Hart Lift grant program, run with federal COVID-19 relief funds during his term, received a gold award from the International Economic Development Council.
Source: NBC Connecticut, Dec. 5, 2023
Amy Chai
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Mary L. Sanders
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Luke Bronin. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through July 22, 2026, and a House candidate financial disclosure was filed June 14, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, House Clerk candidate financial disclosure, Filing ID 10078233, FEC administrative fines search, committee C00913897
Amy Chai. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026, with no FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search, committee C00785634
Mary L. Sanders. No public record found.
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Luke Bronin. No public record found.
Amy Chai. No public record found.
Mary L. Sanders. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Luke Bronin. Took part in the July 28, 2026 WTNH primary debate and the July 29 League of Women Voters forum. No record found yet of general election debates with Amy Chai.
Amy Chai. No public record found.
Mary L. Sanders. No public record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Luke Bronin. Served two terms as Hartford mayor, 2016 to 2024, after posts as Connecticut governor's general counsel and at the U.S. Treasury. No censure, reprimand or conduct finding found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, 1st District race page, WFSB, Oct. 28, 2023
Amy Chai. No public record found.
Mary L. Sanders. No public record found.
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Luke Bronin. Served in the U.S. Navy Reserve and held sworn office as Hartford mayor for two terms. No official finding of misuse of office found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, 1st District race page, Bond Buyer, Aug. 7, 2023
Amy Chai. No public record found.
Mary L. Sanders. No public record found.
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Luke Bronin. Mayor of Hartford from 2016 to 2024; earlier general counsel to Gov. Dannel Malloy and Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes.
Sources: Ballotpedia, 1st District race page, CT News Junkie, Aug. 11, 2026
Amy Chai. Physician board certified in internal medicine and addiction medicine, with training at Indiana University, Michigan and Virginia. Has not held public office.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Amy Chai, Fox 61 via Yahoo News, Aug. 15, 2026
Mary L. Sanders. Former executive director of the Spanish Speaking Center of New Britain; also worked at the New Britain YWCA on education and workforce programs.
Source: Ballotpedia, Mary Sanders
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Luke Bronin. Publishes an issues page covering costs, immigration, health care, housing, child and elder care, taxes, guns, infrastructure, Social Security and artificial intelligence, mostly in general terms.
Amy Chai. Publishes issue positions on prosperity, health care, education, addiction, taxes and foreign policy, and says she has drafted bills on private equity purchases of single-family homes.
Mary L. Sanders. No public record found.
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Luke Bronin. Takes part in debates and forums and publishes plain-language issue pages. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: CT Mirror, July 29, 2026, Campaign site, Issues, Ballotpedia, Luke Bronin
Amy Chai. Completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025 and publishes plain-language issue pages.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Amy Chai, Campaign site, Issues
Mary L. Sanders. Completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022; has not completed the 2026 survey.
Source: Ballotpedia, Mary Sanders
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Luke Bronin. Based in Hartford, which he served as mayor for eight years. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show about 57 percent of itemized individual contributions from Connecticut.
Sources: FEC Form 2, filed July 31, 2025, Campaign site, About, Wikipedia, Connecticut's 1st congressional district, FEC contribution totals by state
Amy Chai. Her July 2026 FEC statement of candidacy lists a North Haven address; North Haven lies in the 3rd District, not the 1st.
Sources: FEC Form 2, filed July 28, 2026, Wikipedia, Connecticut's 3rd congressional district, FEC contribution totals by state
Mary L. Sanders. Born in New Britain; said in 2022 she had lived in Hartford's South End for 28 years.
Source: Ballotpedia, Mary Sanders
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Luke Bronin. Ran the city of Hartford (population 121,054) for eight years. Moody's upgraded the city to investment grade in 2023, citing significantly stronger budget management. Campaign reports filed with no FEC fine.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Hartford, Connecticut, Bond Buyer, Aug. 7, 2023, FEC administrative fines search, committee C00913897
Amy Chai. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search, committee C00785634
Mary L. Sanders. No public record found.
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Luke Bronin. As mayor, Hartford's Moody's rating rose from Caa3 in 2017 to Baa3 in 2023, and its Hart Lift grant program won an International Economic Development Council gold award in 2023.
Sources: Bond Buyer, Aug. 7, 2023, NBC Connecticut, Dec. 5, 2023
Amy Chai. No public record found.
Mary L. Sanders. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Luke Bronin. No public record found.
Amy Chai. No public record found.
Mary L. Sanders. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Luke Bronin. No public record found.
Amy Chai. No public record found.
Mary L. Sanders. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Luke Bronin. No public record found.
Amy Chai. No public record found.
Mary L. Sanders. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Luke Bronin. Moody's 2023 upgrade cited Hartford's cash and reserves that materially increased over five years; the state assumed the city's general obligation debt payments after its 2017 fiscal crisis.
Source: Bond Buyer, Aug. 7, 2023
Amy Chai. No public record found.
Mary L. Sanders. No public record found.
How to read this
Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.
A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.
No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 6, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.
Questions
Who should I vote for in Connecticut's 1st Congressional District?
Luke Bronin has the strongest record in Connecticut's 1st Congressional District. Luke Bronin scores 61 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 6, 2026. Luke Bronin's highest marks are management and relevant experience. Amy Chai (6 of 15 criteria) and Mary L. Sanders (3 of 15 criteria) have too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in Connecticut's 1st Congressional District in 2026?
Luke Bronin (Democratic), Amy Chai (Republican), Mary L. Sanders (Green). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Luke Bronin a good candidate for Congress?
Luke Bronin scores 61 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 11 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 70 of 100, performance 63 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Amy Chai a good candidate for Congress?
Amy Chai has public evidence on 6 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
Is Mary L. Sanders a good candidate for Congress?
Mary L. Sanders has public evidence on 3 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
How is the strongest record decided?
The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.
More on this race: every Connecticut race scored, and the Connecticut 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.