Congressman Seth Moulton had a strong message for Democrats at a town hall-style forum Saturday in Ipswich: it’s time for a new generation in Washington, and the time is now.
Speaking to a packed room at True North Brewery and in a subsequent interview, the Salem Democrat outlined his campaign for US Senate, arguing that rising housing costs, utility bills, childcare expenses, healthcare costs and everyday household expenses have become the defining challenge facing Massachusetts residents.
“What matters most to me is what the voters tell me is most on their mind,” Moulton said. “Without question, the issue I hear about most all across Cape Ann and the North Shore, but also all across Massachusetts, is affordability.”
Moulton, a Marine Corps veteran who served four tours in Iraq, has represented the 6th MA Congressional District since 2015. At 47, he is seeking to unseat incumbent U.S. Senator Ed Markey in the Democratic primary election this September.
The race presents voters with a clear choice between two generations of Democratic leadership. Markey, 80, has served in Congress since 1976, first as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and since 2013 in the U.S. Senate. He is widely known for his work on environmental policy, telecommunications regulation, consumer protection and climate change legislation, including his role in developing the Green New Deal framework. Markey’s supporters point to his decades of legislative accomplishments and influence in Washington, while Moulton argues the state needs new leadership to address emerging challenges. He also argues that the old guard of Washington Democrats—from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to Sen. Ed Markey—suffers from a glaring flaw: a lack of results.
“The word people most often use to describe me is independent,” Moulton said. “I’m just not beholden to a party or partisan establishment.” Given that Moulton got into office by besting his nine-term predecessor, Congressman John Tierney in a Democratic primary upset, the idea of “independence” isn’t just messaging.
Moulton has centered much of his Senate campaign on practical everyday issues, with a progressive edge. Yes, he talks about affordability, and he argues that Democrats should push to make housing, healthcare and education the center of the party platform.
“Democrats should take the lead on affordability all across the nation by planting a flag in the ground and saying that housing, healthcare and education are human rights,” he said.
Among his proposals? For one, Moulton said he would place restrictions on private equity firms purchasing large numbers of single-family homes. He’s also for creating a universal pre-kindergarten program and expanded childcare access, arguing that they are vital to a strong economy. And he supports significant investments in career and technical education to address riptide changes in the economy from the emergence of artificial intelligence.
“We can’t just pretend that AI isn’t going to take jobs away,” he said. “We’ve got to train our kids for this new economy.”
If affordability is the first in Moulton’s “one-two” campaign punch, technology and innovation is the other. Moulton—who holds a Harvard degree in physics and, if elected, would be the first US senator in history with a science degree—argues that scientific and technological literacy will be increasingly important in national policymaking.
“Understanding the future of our economy is about surviving climate change and winning the tech race,” he said. “It’s about bringing jobs home to Massachusetts.”
While careful to express respect for Markey, Moulton has drawn distinctions between himself and the incumbent senator. He was quick to point out to one attendee that he and Markey agreed on “70 percent” of the issues. Where they differ is on how to get important things done in Washington, and whether it’s effective.
“I have a lot of respect for Senator Markey,” Moulton said. “But he’s been a champion of energy policy for decades. How are your electricity costs lately?”
Moulton has also emphasized transportation infrastructure as a key priority, particularly the creation of a fast regional rail network connecting communities throughout Massachusetts.
One proposal he frequently cites is a statewide rail system that would allow trains to run at frequent intervals through Boston and beyond.
“That would mean getting on the train down the street every 20 minutes from Ipswich and being able to go straight through the city to the South Shore or out west,” he said. “A true New England cross-rail system.”
During his tenure in Congress, Moulton has built a reputation as an independent-minded Democrat focused on veterans’ issues, transportation, mental health, national security and infrastructure investment. He has served on both the House Armed Services Committee and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and has been a frequent advocate for North Shore communities seeking federal assistance for transportation, coastal resilience, harbor infrastructure and economic development projects.
Moulton cites the bipartisan creation of the 988 mental health and suicide crisis hotline as an example of the kind of results he believes are possible when lawmakers work across party lines. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that suicides among Americans ages 15 to 34 fell by an estimated 11 percent after the hotline’s launch, representing roughly 4,400 lives saved compared with pre-988 trends. Use of the service surged immediately, with calls increasing by more than 50 percent and text messages increasing tenfold in its first month.
Closer to home, Moulton’s record of securing federal funding and assistance for North Shore communities has been strong. In 2024 alone, he secured more than $13.2 million for 15 projects across the District, including water and sewer infrastructure upgrades in Rockport, Manchester, and Essex; dredging assistance for the Essex River; funding for coastal resilience projects in Manchester; early childhood education support of Pathways in Gloucester and Beverly; and funding for The Open Door that bolstered
food assistance in 11 North Shore communities from Salem to Ipswich, Georgetown, and all of Cape Ann, to name a few.
Whether that record will be enough to persuade Democratic primary voters remains to be seen. Markey successfully turned back a challenge from Congressman Joe Kennedy III in 2020 and remains popular among many Democratic activists and progressive voters. Nevertheless, Moulton is betting that the same desire for fresh leadership that propelled him past Tierney more than a decade ago can once again reshape Massachusetts politics.
The Democratic primary election is scheduled for September.
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