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Luke Bronin Defeats Incumbent Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra in Primary Battle

Endorsed Hartford Democrat LukeBroninhas beaten incumbent Mayor PedroSegarrain a primary battle that all but guarantees he'll be the next person sworn in to run Connecticut's capital city.

Mayor Segarra conceded the race about two hours after the polls closed, having gotten what he said was just 46 percent of the vote to Bronin's 54 percent.

As he gave his public concession -- perhaps fitting of a mayor who has been criticized for not having his act together -- Segarra had to project his voice over the din of the Republican presidential debate on the screen behind him.

"I have called my opponent to concede his success tonight," he said.  "But I want to tell you that in a very strong and special way, we, too, have succeeded."

Segarra was at Nix's on Front Street. A few blocks away at the Polish National Home, Bronin hugged his way through the crowd and his first words to the microphone were "we did it."

Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra announces that he's conceded the city's Democratic mayoral primary to Luke Bronin.
Credit Ryan Caron King / WNPR
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WNPR
Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra announces that he's conceded the city's Democratic mayoral primary to Luke Bronin.

"Tonight, thanks to your hard work, to your dedication, and to your belief that this city's best days are ahead, I am proud, so proud, deeply honored to stand as the Democratic nominee for mayor of the city of Hartford," Bronin said.

Bronin then thankedSegarra-- who hasn't yet decided whether to continue the fight in the general election.

"You ran a hard, spirited campaign and, although we've had our differences, I will never question you love and commitment to this city," Bronin said.  

Then, as a white man having soundly defeated the city's second Latino mayor,Broninstressed the city's diversity.

"We are one city," Bronin said. "We are one small city. African American, West Indian, Puerto Rican, Peruvian, Dominican, Bosnian, Albanian, Irish, Italian, Polish, Indian,Guyanese, Brazilian and on and on. We are one city. North End. South End. West End. Downtown.Parkville. Blue Hills. We are one city."

In many ways, the result isn't much of a surprise. Segarra'scampaign floundered early, whileBroninspent months preparing the way for the summer contest. Broninraised over $800,000, which allowed him, among other things, to advertise heavily on television and to send out an impressive number of political mailers. (Some recent ones included images of and praise from GovernorDannelMalloy, who campaign aides say hadn't approved their use.)By July, it was clear that Bronin was picking up support and endorsements. When it came time for the city's Democratic Town Committee to pick its candidate in a crowded high school auditorium, Segarra stormed out -- declining to take part in a process that he won four years ago, but which he now said was corrupt. As he left, the embattled mayor promised to take his campaign to the streets.

Luke Bronin on stage at Hartford's Polish National Home on Wednesday night surrounded by family, supporters, and other candidates for city offices.
Credit Ryan Caron King / WNPR
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WNPR
Luke Bronin on stage at Hartford's Polish National Home on Wednesday night surrounded by family, supporters, and other candidates for city offices.

    

It was a move that energizedSegarraloyalists and, for a time, seemed to give theSegarracampaign some momentum as it headed into what one ally said would be a "hot summer."What followed was a campaign in which Segarra called Bronin an inexperienced, wealthy, opportunistic outsider with a short history in the city. Segarra tried to paint Bronin as a candidate who doesn't understand the city's residents because he doesn't share their life experiences.  

And eventually, Segarra tried to firm up his support by making the election a referendum on identity politics. By August and September, Segarra's messaging had morphed into a call for Latino unity -- one in which a Greenwich-raised, Yale-educated lawyer was trying to wrest control of city hall from the proud hands of Latinos who had held it for more than a decade. 

 

Luke Bronin, in foreground at right, with his family at the Hartford Democratic Town Committee meeting in July 2015.
Credit Jeff Cohen / WNPR
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WNPR
Luke Bronin, in foreground at right, with his family at the Hartford Democratic Town Committee meeting in July 2015.

Segarra also took aim at Bronin's decision to have his children attend a private school in West Hartford, as opposed to a neighborhood public school in the city. (Bronin said he tried to get his children into the same magnet school, but he lost the lottery.)

Meanwhile, Segarra had bad news in the city that turned into a good issue for Bronin. The city's homicide rate spiked over the summer and Bronin spent the summer hammering Segarra on the issue of public safety; Segarra said Bronin was politicizing death for his own political gain.

 

Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra at a peace rally in the city's North End in June 2015.
Credit Jeff Cohen / WNPR
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WNPR
Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra at a peace rally in the city's North End in June 2015.

Bronin also made improving schools and neighborhoods cornerstones of his campaign.

And while Segarra called on Latinos to unite, Bronin was able to respond that the mayor was seeking to divide the city, while he was trying to unite it.

Nevertheless, Bronin's candidacy was also one firmly rooted in the identity politics that have long run the city. While he had some significant support from some in the city's Latino community, Bronin had backing from some leaders in the city's African American North End. Bronin also worked to mobilize the mayor's wealthier West End neighbors against him -- a move that seems to have worked.

That left Segarra hoping for a big turnout in the city's Latino sections -- and, in the end, it wasn't enough to overcome the gains Bronin made elsewhere.

Segarra, a former city councilman, took office back in 2010 when then Mayor Eddie Perez resigned after being convicted on corruption-related charges. And if Perez was known as a mayor who exerted too much control over his city, Segarra eventually earned a reputation as a mayor who exerted too little. One story that stuck: he and some on his staff used city money to pay for an expensive downtown dinner on New Year’s Eve, with caviar included.

Segarra won his own four-year term in 2011, and while he had some high-profile successes -- such as the downtown minor league ballpark -- he also got to be known as a nice guy who was an inadequate manager who had a troubled relationship with Malloy and the state. He spent much of the summer blaming the city's challenges -- from public safety to budgetary -- on declining state resources. That soured relations further. 

Now, it will be Bronin's turn. The lawyer who most recently served as general counsel to Malloy has a high-octane pedigree and has convinced the city's voters that he genuinely wants to make the city better.

But like Segarra when he took office, Bronin doesn't have much organizational management experience. The question will be whether being smart and well-intentioned is enough to effectively manage Connecticut's capital city.

Finally, it's worth noting that Bronin is still new to city politics. And that was clear when, minutes after he finished his remarks and everyone had started crowding the bar, he had to go back to the microphone.

"I forgot to say some very important things and I want to take the time to say them," Bronin said.

In his remarks, he had overlooked the members of his slate and an advocacy organization -- the Voices of Women of Color. Which is to say this: Don't forget to thank the people who got you there.

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Segarra's press release is below.

After a months of campaigning and becoming one of the most expensive Mayoral races in recent history, Mayor Segarra conceded to Democratic challenger Luke Bronin after it was confirmed by the Registrar of Voters that Mr. Bronin won the Democratic. In an extremely close and oftentimes bitter race, Mayor Segarra received a total of 46% of the vote, or about 4,200 votes out of the total 9,600 casted. He expressed his disappointment in the results in a brief statement at the Nix’s place, where he was hosting his election night party. He thank his volunteers for their continued hard work the last few months. “Your continued support means so much to me, and I feel so fortunate to be here with you all tonight,” Segarra said. “While I am disappointed in tonight’s results, this does not change my commitment to this campaign nor the people of Hartford.” The Mayor had petitioned his way onto both the September and November ballot. The Mayor appears as an Independent candidate on the November ballot. The Mayor has previously asserted that if he lost the primary, he would continue to campaign onto the general election. However, as of Wednesday night he had not yet made a decision as to the direction of his campaign.

 

Luke Bronin on stage at Hartford's Polish National Home on Wednesday night surrounded by family, supporters, and other candidates for city offices.
Ryan Caron King / WNPR
/
WNPR
Luke Bronin on stage at Hartford's Polish National Home on Wednesday night surrounded by family, supporters, and other candidates for city offices.
Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra announces that he's conceded the Democratic primary to Luke Bronin.
Ryan Caron King / WNPR
/
WNPR
Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra announces that he's conceded the Democratic primary to Luke Bronin.

Copyright 2015 Connecticut Public

Jeff Cohen started in newspapers in 2001 and joined Connecticut Public in 2010, where he worked as a reporter and fill-in host. In 2017, he was named news director.