SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton began clamoring for generational change long before it became a political cliche.
The Iraq War veteran and Harvard graduate won his North Shore congressional seat in 2014, after dislodging a nine-term Democratic incumbent. A few years later, he led an ultimately unsuccessful uprising against Nancy Pelosi, then the party’s most powerful woman. And a year after that, he took a stab at running for president; his long-shot bid lasted all of four months.
Now, at 47, Moulton is making another bold gambit. He’s taking on Sen. Edward J. Markey, a steadfast progressive who’s been a fixture in Massachusetts politics for longer than Moulton has been alive.
In the final stretch before Tuesday’s Democratic primary, Moulton is crisscrossing the state in a quest for votes. Polls suggest it’s an uphill climb: A University of New Hampshire survey released Wednesday found Markey with a 35-point lead.
Moulton is undaunted. He points to recent polling misfires in Wisconsin and Michigan, and is counting on broad dissatisfaction with the status quo to lift him to victory.
