Ruth Fortune, a Hartford Board of Education member, has qualified for the Democratic primary ballot in Connecticut’s 1st Congressional District. This makes it a four-way contest for the seat held by longtime U.S. Rep. John B. Larson.

Qualification Process

Fortune qualified for the ballot through the petition process, collecting 3,743 signatures, which is 2% of Democrats registered in the district. Her campaign had collected about double the required amount to boost her chances.

Fortune is the first person to qualify via petitioning for a primary challenge against an incumbent member of Congress from Connecticut. She believes that the ballot access laws in Connecticut are too restrictive and hopes that state legislators will take up the issue in the next General Assembly session.

Campaign Goals

Fortune wants Congress to focus on raising the federal minimum wage and tackling comprehensive immigration reform. She came to the U.S. from Haiti as a young illegal immigrant and was undocumented for a decade.

Four candidates are now on the ballot for the Democratic nomination on August 11. Fortune joins Larson, former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, and state Rep. Jillian Gilchrest of West Hartford on the ballot.

Larson congratulated Fortune on making the ballot and welcomed her to the race. However, he has been critical of Bronin, his main primary opponent, and has questioned his record and support from a billionaire network.

Gilchrest also congratulated Fortune and argued that the larger primary field reflects voters’ desire for change. Bronin’s campaign believes that the primary field shows that voters want new energy in the Democratic Party.

Original reporting: The Connecticut Mirror — read the source article.