In Re-Election Bid, Moulton Stresses Need To Shake Status Quo

SALEM, MA -- One of the biggest criticisms of Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) among right-leaning Massachusetts voters is that he's too ambitious. His opponents, including Joseph Schneider, the Republican nominee Moulton will face in the Nov. 6 election, say Moulton is simply biding his time in the Massachusetts 6th Congressional District until he can make a run for Senate or President.

And it's not a totally far-fetched idea: in a Boston Globe poll released last month, 17.78% of Democratic respondents said he should challenge Sen. Ed Markey in 2020. And 17.2% of all respondents said Moulton should skip the Senate race in two years and run for President.

Moulton, for his part, insists he's focused on the job at hand. And the job at hand, as he sees it, is finding a way to heal a fractured country.

"Right now, too many of us aren’t proud of our country, don’t trust our leaders, and don’t believe in where we’re headed—and with good reason," Moulton said in written responses to questions posed by Patch. "That has to change. It’s time for us to build an America where everyone has the opportunity to earn a good life, where our country is safe and strong, and where we have leaders who deserve our trust--an America we can be proud of once again."

Schneider didn't respond to the same set of questions sent by Patch. But his comments in the lone debate between the two candidates, Schneider accused Moulton of voting along party lines "99.9% of the time." In actuality, according to the political statistics site FiveThirtyEight, Moulton has actually voted for 22% of the bills backed by President Donald Trump since Trump took office.

"The votes that count, the votes about money and taxes, he votes 100 percent of the time with the Democratic majority," Schneider said.

Moulton has the incumbent's advantage in his bid to be reelected for a third term to represent the 6th Massachusetts Congressional District, which includes Amesbury, Beverly, Gloucester, Lynn, Newburyport, Peabody, Salem, Andover (Precincts 1, 7A, 8, and 9A), Boxford, Danvers, Essex, Georgetown, Groveland, Hamilton, Ipswich, Lynnfield, Manchester, Marblehead, Merrimac, Middleton, Nahant, Newbury, North Andover, Rockport, Rowley, Salisbury, Saugus, Swampscott, Topsfield, Wenham, and West Newbury in Essex County and Bedford, Billerica, Burlington, North Reading, Reading, Tewksbury, Wakefield and Wilmington in Middlesex County.

He also has the money advantage. According to the Federal Election Committee, Moulton's campaign has $2.3 million in total receipts, compared to $216,418 for Schneider.

"My opponent and I have both served our country, and though we have clear ideological differences, I believe that we share concerns about the direction of Massachusetts and the nation. But now more than ever, it’s also important to challenge the status quo in Washington -- in both parties," Moulton said. "I’ve never been afraid to speak up when I thought my own party’s leadership wasn’t acting in the best interest of the country. I do it all the time. Mr. Schneider, however, has repeatedly punted on opportunities to speak out against this administration and demand our executive branch follow our laws and uphold our Constitutional values."

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Photo submitted by Moulton For Congress.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).