The Associated Press is declaring U.S. Congressman John Larson the winner in Connecticut's 1st District over challenger Joe Visconti, a Republican town councilor from West Hartford.

From Register Citizen Staff Writer David Hutter ...
Joe Visconti, the Republican candidate for the 1st Congressional District of Connecticut, said he has greeted voters in Hartford, West Hartford, South Windsor, Manchester, Wethersfield, Rocky Hill, New Hartford, Bristol, Newington and Southington. He said that voters are being very quiet about which candidates they support.
"I’ve been all over the district," Visconti said. "I will be at state central headquarters in New Britain tonight."
A contractor from West Hartford, Visconti is vying against Democratic incumbent John Larson and Green Party candidate and lawyer Stephen Fournier of Hartford.

The Republican-American has endorsed three Republicans for U.S. Congress - Chris Shays in the 4th District, David Cappiello in the 5th District and Joe Visconti in the 1st District, arguing that if Obama wins, it will be dangerous to have one party control both the presidency and Congress.

CLICK HERE for the paper's endorsements.

Republican 1st District Congressional candidate Joe Visconti issued the following press release this morning blasting The Hartford insurance company's CEO for drumming up support for incumbent Congressman John Larson.

"The Hartford" CEO Leans on Employees to Support Larson

The President and Chief Operating Officer of The Hartford insurance company's life division, is recommending that employees of the insurance firm support Democratic incumbent 1 st Congressman representative John Larson, according to recently obtained internal documents.

However, an email from John Walters, president and chief operating officer of Hartford Life, Inc., praising Larson for supporting the Wall Street 'Bailout,' and urging employees to thank Larson in writing on his website, has drawn a sharp retort publicly and privately from shareholders and employees. Questions also have been raised as to whether Walters coerced employees of The Hartford to donate money to Larson's campaign.

The Hartford Financial Services has donated more than $15,000 to Larson's re-election campaign according to recent financial disclosures while individual employees at The Hartford have donated more than $12,000. The top insurance industry donor to Larson's campaign was AIG which has donated nearly $20,000

In an email to employees, COO John Walters said, "Connecticut First District Congressman John Larson was among the House members who stood tall last week by voting in favor of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008.

Congressman Larson backed this legislation from the very beginning. His support never wavered, even after it failed to gain approval the first time it came up for a vote in the House.

I have already thanked Congressman Larson and as a 1st District resident I thought you might like to do the same. If you believe, as I do, that passage of this legislation was absolutely necessary to stabilize the financial markets, please take the time to thank
Congressman Larson. "

Executives at The Hartford privately have criticized Walters' email and say many employees consider it an infringement on their political beliefs.

Republican nominee Joseph Visconti, who is opposing Larson, has privately been approached by executive level employees of The Hartford who have told him they are supporting his candidacy.

In addition, Arthur Mocabee, a shareholder at The Hartford, and Visconti supporter, responded to Walters in a critical letter that stated in part , "While the Hartford Insurance Company lies in shambles due in part to a poorly managed national credit crisis caused largely by the Democrats in Congress, especially the lack of leadership by John Larson, it is extremely improper to use corporate email to solicit political persuasion for anyone, let alone John Larson.

"You as President and COO have probably violated your own corporate email policy.
The 1st District is in the middle of a severe economic crisis that threatens jobs at The Hartford as well as many other major employers in the district. … To single out a single politician smacks of favoritism and insensitivity to others who may feel differently, but have no choice in receiving your solicitation. …

"You have used The Hartford as a 'Big Brother' in suggesting that employees should "thank" John Larson."

Mocabee also noted that individual employees at The Hartford "Contributed financially to Mr. Larson. Your actions raise the question if they did so under your request or of their own free will."

Republican 1st District congressional candidate Joe Visconti is not happy about the way he was described in The Register Citizen's recent endorsement of incumbent U.S. Congressman John Larson. Below is Visconti's response, which will be printed in the print edition of tomorrow's Register Citizen. CLICK HERE to read the endorsement he's responding to.

Register Citizen Unprofessional and Irrelevant

The unfortunate descent by the Register Citizen's publisher into personal attacks and gutter language while ridiculing my campaign in its endorsement of John Larson (barely) is both unprofessional, and ultimately irrelevant.

I spoke with a roomful of area businesses owners at the Elks Club recently, answering questions on my approaches to government, national security, energy policies, immigration and many other concerns, all while this paper's publisher sat listening. Yet, rather than giving a professional report on the differences between my positions and the incumbent Democrat's, the Register publisher refers to me as a "loudmouth!"

My positions often have not been reported to this paper's readers, despite my campaign sending regular news releases and alerts. Obviously the Register Citizen seeks to misinform on one hand, and keep its readers in the dark on the other. It is no wonder that Americans rate the news media lower than the 9 percent approval rating we give Congress!

These positions are spelled out clearly on my website www.ViscontiforCongress.com. The news releases that were not reported by this paper also are posted there. See for yourself what I believe!

In our debates I have pointed out that John Larson is the face of what is wrong in Congress. I invite voters to decide whether you think the incumbent has done a good job, or is the problem, not the solution?

I have campaigned by using the Internet and good old-fashioned legwork. I have visited every town in this district repeatedly, met with the voters, the taxpayers, and community leaders. I have been here in person to answer questions and concerns. Where has the incumbent been when voters want to question or challenge his advertisements?

Voters can compare what John Larson has done both in Congress and for this area in the last 10 years, with my method. Larson has taken a "hands off" approach, meaning he never shows up, and thinks more of furthering his Congressional career than the voters.

I will regularly visit every town in the district, meet with the citizens, and work in Congress toward the betterment of our communities, our state and our country. Please compare that attitude with the incumbent's record, and then ask yourselves, will anything change in Congress if we follow the dictates of a biased publisher and re-elect an absentee landlord posing as a Representative?

Sincerely,
Joseph Visconti

Click headline below for The Register Citizen's endorsement of Congressman John Larson ...

EDITORIAL: Larson for Congress
We wish Congressman John Larson would pay more attention to the Torrington end of the 1st District he represents. We wish that his politics and legislative priorities were a better reflection of the values and priorities of the residents and small businessmen from this end of his district. We wish he didn’t embrace the system of “earmarks” that waste billions in federal tax dollars.

Joe Visconti, Republican candidate for the 1st District seat in Congress currently held by Democrat Rep. John Larson, left many scratching their heads after a speech to the Torrington Rotary Club today.
Stream-of-consciousness style, Visconti railed against "socialists, Communists," a press that is "for sale," a conspiracy by the media to not report about his campaign, the danger that Barack Obama poses to the country, how he really hasn't bothered to spend much time in Torrington, and various aspects of his long-running fight against a shopping center in his hometown of West Hartford.
Visconti then scolded the Rotarians in attendance for not asking him many questions, saying that the room must be full of Democrats.
It wouldn't have seemed possible last week, but Visconti managed to put in a more poorly received performance than Larson himself did at last week's Rotary meeting, when a third of the audience got up and left while the congressman continued talking and talking and talking about the minutiae of mortgage and banking policy through every throat-clearing hint and body language that he was going way over the Rotary's pretty strict schedule of wrapping up.

CLICK HERE for a story on Visconti's speech from The Register Citizen.

During a swing through Torrington today, this ringing endorsement of the Republican Party's chances Nov. 4 came from 1st District Congress Republican candidate Joe Visconti of West Hartford:
"It's hard to run when the Republican brand is in the toilet."