Welcome to Washington: Can Moderates Make a Stand in Massachusetts?

Many, including this columnist, are speculating about the prospect of a “Tea Party” movement among Democrats — though Massachusetts, one of the bluest states in the nation, could well end up returning a host of more moderate Democrats to the Hill. Four upcoming primary races in particular could end up proving that the center-left can hold.Welcome to Washington, where political parties are finally about to close out the primary season. In just a little more than two weeks, Massachusetts will hold its primary elections for the Senate, House races, the gubernatorial contest, and other offices down the ballot. This year, there are an unusually high number of contested primaries on the Democratic side which will shape the face of the Bay State on Capitol Hill come January. The most-watched race of the season is the primary race for the Senate, where Senator Ed Markey — an octogenarian lawmaker and one of the most left-wing senators today — is facing a challenge from Congressman Seth Moulton. A Marine who during the Iraq War twice won the Bronze Star for valor and the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation, also for valor, Mr. Moulton has pitched himself not as the more progressive candidate in the race, but the more effective one. “The question before us is whether, at 80 years old, you should serve for another six years,” Mr. Moulton said during his most recent debate with Mr. Markey. “People ought to ask: what are you going to accomplish in the next six years that you haven’t been able to accomplish in the last 50?”Congressman Seth Moulton speaks during a House Subcommittee hearing. Samuel Corum/Getty ImagesCome November, Mr. Markey will have been a denizen of Capitol Hill for five decades — first for more than 36 years in the House and now, since 2013, as a senator from the Bay State. He says that his age is not the issue, but rather the age of his “ideas.” Mr. Markey is a supporter of Medicare for All, backs the inclusion of transgender athletes in women’s sports leagues, and is the original sponsor of the Green New Deal — three things which Mr. Moulton opposes. According to the two most recent polls from this summer, it is a single-digit race between Messrs. Markey and Moulton. A survey from Emerson College back in May found Mr. Markey was leading by five points, while another poll, conducted by the University of New Hampshire, found that the senator was leading by six points. “I’m running against a Washington establishment that puts personal power over public service and has been too weak to stand up to the fascist Trump agenda,” Mr. Moulton said at the recent debate. “I believe in servant leadership where I work for you, not the other way around.”The race to succeed Mr. Moulton is another in which the more mainstream Democratic establishment could notch a win. A former Biden White House aide, Dan Koh, has been endorsed by President Biden, Vice President Harris, a former labor secretary and Boston mayor, Marty Walsh, as well as several establishment figures and labor unions to represent Mr. Moulton’s North Shore-based district. Mr. Koh and his main opponent, state representative Tram Nguyen, both support Medicare for All and abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, though Ms. Nguyen has been backed by several more prominent progressive groups and politicians. If Mr. Koh is able to pull out a win, it would be a victory for the establishment even if he may hold more left-wing policy views. To the west, one of Massachusetts’ most powerful federal lawmakers, Congressman Richard Neal, is facing a challenge of his own in the First District. Should Democrats retake control of the House, he is poised to serve as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, the panel from which all federal tax law flows. Mr. Neal is being challenged by a teacher from the district, Jeromie Whalen, who is running to Mr. Neal’s left. Mr. Neal is far closer to Mr. Moulton’s record in that he does not back the Medicare for All bill. Mr. Neal also has a long record of supporting the United States-Israel relationship. And he has been endorsed by a major pro-Israel group, Democratic Majority for Israel. Mr. Whalen supports an end to all aid for Israel and backs implementing Medicare for All.In a district covering the heart of Boston and the South Shore, Congressman Stephen Lynch — the lone Democrat still serving who did not support the Affordable Care Act — is facing a younger challenger. Attorney Patrick Roath does not hold a significantly more left-wing policy platform than Mr. Lynch, though his run to inject a new generation into the Massachusetts delegation could prove salient to voters who have been represented by Mr. Lynch since 2001. While the moderates are favored to have a strong night in the Bay State, no matter what happens — there will be zero socialists representing the Commonwealth come November.

Welcome to Washington: Can Moderates Make a Stand in Massachusetts?

Welcome to Washington: Can Moderates Make a Stand in Massachusetts?

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