Salem City Councilor Will Run Against Moulton

SALEM, MA — A 41-year-old Salem woman who was inspired to run for her ward's seat on the Salem City Council after the 2016 presidential election announced plans Monday to run for Congress. Lisa Peterson became the second candidate to formally enter the Democratic primary race to challenge U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton. Moulton is mounting a long-shot bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.

Peterson said she will not run for reelection as the Ward 3 City Councilor in November.

"Authenticity and transparency are exceptionally important to me and are what you will find with me in this campaign," Peterson said in a email. "That’s why I won’t be running two concurrent campaigns ... I let my ward know as soon as possible that I look forward to serving out the rest of this term, and the opportunity to serve the ward and the city in a new way."

In the video announcing her run, Peterson talked about the high cost of living in Massachusetts.

"It's getting really expensive and challenging to build a life here," she said. "It's time we take a hard look at how we make improvements."

While the video never mentions Moulton by name, Peterson said she would bring "bolder, brighter and more representative leadership" to Washington for the 6th Congressional District, which includes 39 municipalities in Essex and Middlesex counties.

"It’s clear he’s moved on from the district," Peterson, 41, told The Boston Globe, which first reported this story. "I mean, obviously he’s running for president so he’s not here, he’s not representing us. I think we can do so much better."

Peterson joined candidate Jamie Zahlaway Belsito of Topsfield, who announced plans to run in the Democratic primary against Moulton in April. Former state Sen. Barbara L’Italien, an Andover Democrat, is considering a run, as is state Rep. Lori Ehrlich, a Marblehead Democrat.

Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll said in April she would give a run serious consideration to entering the Democratic primary if Moulton does not run again in 2020. But a spokesperson for Moulton signaled that the Salem resident plans to run for reelection.

"Seth is a product of a primary himself and isn’t afraid of democracy," Moulton spokesman Matt Corrodoni said in an email Monday morning.

Peterson's entry into the race also opened speculation about who will run to replace her on City Council. Peterson is up for reelection in November. Her 2017 victory over incumbent Stephen Lovely of Story Street in Ward 3 was considered an upset by the first-time candidate.