Connecticut council member in garbage business pledges $500,000 of his own money on congressional run

HARTFORD, Conn. — Jack Perry admits that he does not have the normal pedigree for a member of Congress.

After spending a career in the garbage hauling business, Perry said that he is running as a Democrat against 77-year-old U.S. Rep. John B. Larson in a potential multicandidate primary in 2026.

Perry, 35, also gained attention by pledging to spend $500,000 of his own money against Larson, using part of the proceeds from selling his family-owned garbage business that he started in 2008.

“I’m not a typical politician. I mean, seriously, how many can drive a garbage truck?” Perry asked. “I’m a working-class guy who is unafraid to take on big challenges and stand up for people. I’m not trying to climb a political ladder for myself. I want to make sure everyone has ladders to climb and can afford to live and retire comfortably in Connecticut. I’ll fight for the people, not the powerful.”

As a Democratic member of Southington’s Republican-controlled town council, Perry is not well known statewide. But he gained additional name recognition in his hometown when running for state Senate in 2020 against conservative firebrand Rob Sampson of Wolcott. Sampson won by 54% to 46% in the year that incumbent President Donald Trump ran strongly in the district despite losing in Connecticut and nationwide to Democrat Joe Biden.

Perry spent 16 years in the family business, HQ Dumpsters and Recycling, before it was sold last year to trash hauler CWPM in Plainville. While no longer the owner, he still oversees the daily operations for the new owner, the Manafort family, in a position he says is far less stressful.

As a relative political newcomer, Perry understands it will be difficult running against veteran Democrats with high name recognition like Larson and former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, who is seriously considering joining the race.

“It’s a heavy lift, and that’s where I’m trying to make it viable and showing people how passionate I am,” Perry told The Courant in an interview. “Anyone that knows me knows that when my heart’s in it, I will work endless hours, and that’s just who I am as a person. Passion is everything. That’s how I was able to build a successful garbage business. I started in 2008 during the Great Recession. It was passion, determination and work ethic. Nothing I’ve gotten in life has been easy, but it’s very rewarding.”

Perry added, “I’m looking to be a fresh voice with new energy and advocate for the working class, the middle class, and those that are retiring that can’t afford to stay in our state because of the cost. It goes back to inflation, grocery bills, electric costs, housing — all those things. It’s hard.”

With a mother who was an immigrant from Poland and a biological father who was absent from his life, Perry was raised with the help of his stepfather. He started working in the family’s landscaping business at the age of 13, and has continued working ever since.

Through the years, he has watched housing costs skyrocket, along with food and many other items.

“I was reading the other day in the paper that the average age for a first-time homebuyer is 38 years old,” Perry said. “I’m 35. I bought my first home at 25 on a single income. It was hard for me, and it was a fixer-upper. But you can’t do that in Southington on a single income of $60,000. It’s just not doable. In 2015, it was.”

He added, “Inflation is hurting people, and they’re now picking and choosing what they can afford to buy. Over the years, I’ve seen employees struggle. As an employer, I was able to help my employees. I remember an employee couldn’t afford his insulin. This was before they made insulin affordable. We got him a different plan and coverage to be able to afford his insulin. I’m the type that, when I see issues, I stand up, regardless of how big the fight may be and regardless of what the obstacles are to get there.”

Larson’s campaign spokesman, Charles Perosino, said that democracy ensures that anyone seeking to run can do so, adding that the voters will make the final decision on their representative.

“John is proud to have secured billions in federal funding for the First District, including over $34 million for the town of Southington, and remains focused on taking on the Trump Administration as they raise the cost of living for working families by attacking access to health care, imposing cost-raising tariffs, and threatening Americans’ hard-earned benefits,” Perosino said. “When Democrats take the majority in 2026, John will serve as chair of the Social Security committee, and has been recognized as a national leader to protect and expand benefits, so that all Americans can retire — as FDR intended — with dignity.”

Larson’s opponents

Perry’s entrance into the race comes as the political dam has broken in the battle against Larson. As more opponents step forward, there is little downside in challenging an established incumbent because others have already jumped into the race.

The first official opponent was Hartford school board member and attorney Ruth R. Fortune, who filed official paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to run against Larson.

After emigrating to the United States at age 12 from Haiti, Fortune grew up in the Nassau County town of Westbury on Long Island. She graduated from Baruch College in Manhattan and later received a law degree from the University of Connecticut.

A Hartford resident since 2012, she has two children attending the Hartford public schools and a younger sibling starting pre-K this year. A former financial adviser at Merrill Lynch, she now works at the law firm of Wiggin and Dana in the trust and estates department.

The best-known opponent is Bronin, who is seriously considering running and has been talking to fellow Democrats about the possibility. Larson, who turned 77 on Tuesday, personally told Bronin during an hour-long, face-to-face meeting that he is running again.

Bronin would be the highest-profile challenger in years for Larson, who has won 14 consecutive elections. As a graduate of Yale Law School, a Rhodes Scholar and a former U.S. Navy intelligence officer in Afghanistan, Bronin has a wide range of contacts and has shown his fundraising prowess when he won the Democratic primary for mayor in Hartford by unseating incumbent Pedro Segarra.

State Rep. Jillian Gilchrest, a West Hartford Democrat, told The Courant on Tuesday that she is considering running but does not have a time frame on when her final decision will be made.

“I think I would be great holding that seat in Congress,” said Gilchrest, who serves as co-chair of the state legislature’s human services committee. “While the sitting Congressman is still in the race, there’s a sense that some respect should go his way, but with more and more people getting in, it’s hard not to want to be a part of it if you think you’re qualified to do the job.”

Among the top issues in the race, she said, are wages, public education, access to health care, and concerns about the environment, among others.

“For Democrats, they’re looking for voices who will be speaking about the issues that impact them and not waiting to feel out how best to say something,” Gilchrest said. “They want to hear from leaders who are direct and listen to them and then speak on the issues of importance that impact their daily lives.”

Larson family ready

Larson’s family, which has supported him in all races since even before he won a key primary for Congress in 1998, is already gearing up for another race.

Arianna Larson, a Manchester resident who is one of Larson’s nieces, sent an email to multiple supporters to rally support for the incumbent.

“I’m writing to say one thing loud and clear: it’s game on,” she wrote in the email obtained by The Courant. “This is not a fundraising email. It’s a rallying cry. A call to action. A moment to get off the sidelines and get behind our candidate. For the first time in a long time, my Uncle John may be facing a more competitive primary challenge. And while I respect the value of new voices and fresh ideas — believe me, I’m part of the next generation of Democrats eager to make change — I also know that this is not the moment to be testing the bench.”

She added, “This election is happening in the second half of a Trump presidency. The stakes are enormous. We don’t need a reset — we need results. And no one delivers like John Larson. He’s a lifelong public servant who knows this district, knows how to lead, and never forgets who he’s fighting for. He doesn’t seek the spotlight — he just gets to work and gets things done. … My Uncle John is ready. The campaign is ready. The family is ready. And today, as he celebrates his birthday, and another year of life dedicated to public service, I can’t think of a better way to honor that than by showing up for him – just like he’s always shown up for us!”

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