Andover Democrat May Challenge Moulton In 2020 Primary

ANDOVER, MA -- Outgoing state Sen. Barbara L'Italien (D-Andover) is reportedly considering a 2020 primary challenge to U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton of Salem. L'Italien did not seek reelection this year and instead was one of 10 Democrats to for Massachusetts' 3rd Congressional District seat that was eventually won by Lori Trahan. Moulton has been seen as vulnerable since leading an unsuccessful push to replace Nancy Pelosi as majority leader.

According to the Boston Globe, Democratic activists are raising money to potentially back a primary challenger in the 2020 primary. In addition to L'Italien, the Globe named state Rep. Lori A. Ehrlich (D-Marblehead), Moulton critic and Salem Democrat Isa Leshko and Dan Koh, who finished second to Trahan in the 3rd District primary, as potential challengers.

The Globe speculated that Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll could run. That speculation was quickly dismissed by Driscoll's chief of staff, who said she would not challenge Moulton. As for whether she would run if the seat were open, Dominick Pangallo told the newspaper "I don’t think that’s on her radar at this point."

Clarification: An earlier version of this story did not clarify that Driscoll would not run against Moulton.

For more on this story, see the Boston Globe. Never miss another local news story: Get free local news alerts right to your inbox.

Patch file photo.