Declaring ‘the game has been rigged,’ Muad Hrezi kicks off his longshot run for Congress

Democrat Muad Hrezi launched his longshot quest to unseat U.S. Rep. John Larson on Tuesday, denouncing a rigged economy, a profit-hungry health care system and politicians beholden to special interests.

Hrezi, a former aide to U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, is running against Larson from the left, and he has lined up supporters from labor, Black Lives Matter groups and the Sunrise environmental movement.

“For too long, I’ve seen leaders in Washington get by doing the bare minimum while the rest of us suffer,” Hrezi said. “The game has been rigged. ... When some of our leaders take millions from Wall Street, the defense industry and health insurers ... it means that they’re fighting for them.”

In his speech, Hrezi, a 26-year-old substitute teacher from Hartford, never mentioned Larson by name. But his campaign is powered by the belief that Larson, a 73-year-old Democrat who has represented the 1st District in Congress for 22 years, is out of step with the times.

“Politicians beholden to corporations will always protect corporate interests,” Hrezi said. “Instead of being shocked at the little progress our leaders have made, it’s time for us to change our leaders.”

Larson has generally faced only token opposition since his first run in 1998. The 1st District, which includes Hartford and most of its suburbs, has been drawn to favor Democrats.

Hrezi was one of two progressive candidates who declared earlier this year that they were running against Larson. But Andrew Legnani, a former EMT from Berlin, has since dropped his bid and quit the Democratic Party.

Legnani, in an interview Tuesday afternoon, said he is supporting Hrezi, calling him “a breath of fresh air.”

At his campaign kick-off event at Dunkin’ Donuts Park, Hrezi was joined by several activists, including Sena Wazer, the co-director of Sunrise CT, Sydney Elkhay, president of the UConn College Democrats, and Bishop John Selders, co-founder of Moral Monday CT.

Expanding Medicare and addressing health care costs are among Hrezi’s priorities. As a teenager, he suffered from asthma and was hospitalized with pneumonia. During one of those trips to the emergency room, he was asked to sit in the waiting room, struggling for breath, while hospital registration officials reviewed his parents’ medical billing history.

The experience led him to study health policy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which helped him land a job as a health policy analyst for Murphy.

Unseating Larson won’t be easy. In his long career in the House, he has served in a number of powerful positions and has proved adept at raising money from both corporate interests and labor unions.

According to federal campaign finance disclosures, Larson had $657,392 on hand as of June 30. Hrezi, in contrast, reported raising $74,103.

But Hrezi said he is energized by progressive activists and ready to challenge the status quo.

He even took a jab at one of Larson’s well-known legislative priorities: shoring up the Social Security system.

“When seniors are unable to retire with dignity because Social Security hasn’t been strengthened in decades, we shouldn’t be surprised,” Hrezi said.