Democratic primary for Moulton seat tests insider appetite

The other seven Democrats running are betting the race will come down to who can reinvigorate voters in a party disappointed with its leadership.

For Matt Chilliak, chair of the Andover Democratic Town Committee and Moulton’s former campaign manager, the race could center on two questions: Who has the resources needed “to stand up a full campaign?” and “Do voters want someone who’s a D.C. insider?”

The Democratic primary to represent the 39 cities and towns north of Boston hasn’t drawn the same gargantuan fields of past cycles, when as many as 13 Democrats — including Koh — ran in the Third District to succeed retiring Representative Niki Tsongas eight years ago. Ten ultimately made the primary ballot, where Lori Trahan edged Koh by just 145 votes.

Two years later, nine Democrats competed to succeed former Representative Joe Kennedy III in an open Fourth District contest.

In the Sixth District race, two Republicans are also battling it out in their own primary this year: Micah Jones, an Army veteran and attorney, and John Field, who campaign finance records indicate ran for Congress in Colorado in 2018.

Many of the Democratic candidates running in the Sixth District are pitching themselves as fighters who would stand up to President Trump. All named affordability as a top issue, particularly concerning housing and healthcare. And they want Congress to simply do more, from challenging aggressive immigration enforcement to expanding the Supreme Court.

Where there are few differences in policy, there are differences in approach — as well as the money they’re raising and backers they’re touting.

Koh began the year with nearly $2 million in contributions since entering the race in October. About half of those funds came from outside Massachusetts.

The next top fund-raiser — John Beccia, a Lynnfield financial services business owner — reported raising $1.1 million, though he loaned his campaign nearly $800,000. The next closest candidate raised one-third of that total through December, records show.

Some candidates are emphasizing the local support they have.

State Representative Tram Nguyen, of Andover, is backed by local unions and lawmakers, including state Representatives Manny Cruz of Salem and Dawne Shand of Newburyport, as well as Massachusetts House Speaker Ron Mariano.

And former state representative Jamie Belsito, the Topsfield town moderator, was endorsed by state Auditor Diana DiZoglio at her campaign kickoff this month.

Koh has corralled support from unions and local elected officials, reaching out to some as early as last summer, but his national backing has already become a line of attack.

While addressing Swampscott Democrats last Wednesday, Rick Jakious — Moulton’s former chief of staff who entered the race in October — questioned whether voters wanted “a product of Washington dysfunction, who’s paid for by the Washington elite and billionaires.” Moulton himself had never served in office when he won his seat after ousting nine-term Representative John F. Tierney in 2014.

Koh’s opponents also criticized his longtime political ambitions, including his unsuccessful Third District bid. Andover, where Koh was born and served as a select board member, was redistricted into the Sixth District in 2021.

While several opponents worked local caucuses, Koh traveled to San Francisco for a campaign fund-raiser March 12, where suggested contributions went up to $7,000, per an invitation obtained by the Globe.

Still, Koh argued his federal and local experience is unmatched.

“People are looking for, first and foremost, a fighter against President Trump, and also someone who knows and understands how best to work with local cities and towns to get the most resources they possibly can,” Koh said. “I not only know what agency to go to, I know the name of the person to go to.”

Other candidates cast the race as a chance for Democrats to map a different path after the party’s 2024 losses. To Mariah Lancaster, a 36-year-old veterinarian and former congressional aide emphasizing their science background, voters want leaders who “represent a new future for the party.”

“It is very easy in races like this to think money is everything. While it is valuable and important to be able to communicate with voters, it’s unrealistic to try to compete dollar to dollar with someone like Dan Koh,” said Lancaster, who launched their campaign in January. “But you don’t have to out-raise him to win.”

Jakious, touting constituent services he shepherded under Moulton, said he would bring “political courage” he learned working with the congressman, who regularly bucked party leadership. (Moulton, through a spokesperson, declined to comment on whether he plans to endorse a successor.)

“I’ll take the endorsement of Mayor Sean Reardon in Newburyport over Kamala Harris every day of the week,” said Jakious.

Nguyen said she visited 10 communities across the district in a week and asked fellow state lawmakers for advice on areas beyond the Merrimack Valley region she represents. The vast majority of her donations in 2025 came from people in Massachusetts, she said.

“We need to run different kinds of campaigns and kinds of leaders,” said Nguyen, 39, who often references her background as a political refugee.

Belsito, who previously ran in 2020 against Moulton, said her work on women’s health and mental health issues, which has involved working with members of Congress, positions her to do the job “on day one.”

“We don’t have the luxury to give someone training wheels to do this job under this current administration,” Belsito, 52, said. “We need somebody who can start tomorrow.”

Others with little or no government experience argue a political outsider is exactly what Washington needs.

Beccia, who is emphasizing his business experience, created signage with the slogan “You betcha!” so voters know how to pronounce his name.

“I bring a really fresh perspective as someone who’s lived in this community, cares about this community, believes that this is about public service,“ Beccia, 56, said after distributing Dunkin’ coffee and doughnuts outside the Salem MBTA station on March 12.

Bethany Andres-Beck, a health care software engineer who launched their campaign in July and is backed by Progressive Mass, described themself as the “clear progressive, grassroots candidate that provides the sharpest contrast with Dan Koh.”

“For a lot of people, this is the next step in their career or dream they’ve always had,” Andres-Beck said. “I want to go to Congress because of what congresspeople can do.”

And Rachel Creemers, a 33-year-old artist from Salem and former volunteer for Democratic campaigns, is promoting a progressive platform including a “worker’s bill of rights.”

“I want to hear more from Democrats about hardships people are experiencing that aren’t poll-tested,” Creemers said.

Still, with under six months to go until the primary, even some of the most plugged-in Democrats aren’t paying attention.

Mark Knoblock, a 74-year-old from Swampscott, appeared at the town’s caucus Wednesday to support Moulton’s Senate bid, wanting “some new blood” in Congress. Asked who should take Moulton’s place, Knoblock wasn’t sure.

“I have to look up some more information,” he said.

Anjali Huynh can be reached at anjali.huynh@globe.com.