Rep. Seth Moulton is challenging longtime Sen. Ed Markey for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senator representing Massachusetts, calling for “generational change.”
In an interview with five Greater Boston nonprofit papers, Moulton made his case, outlining his views on affordability, health care, housing, high-speed rail and more.
Taking on incumbents is not something new for Moulton. The 47-year-old Democrat is a Congressman representing the 6th District, which covers a swath of northeastern Massachusetts, from Lynn to Cape Ann and west almost to Lowell. He was elected in 2014 after beating Democratic incumbent John Tierney in the primary.
Now he’s seeking to unseat Markey, who was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1977 and later to the Senate in 2013. Moulton has said while he has respect for Markey’s service, there are deep-rooted issues in Massachusetts and beyond that Markey’s experience hasn’t solved.
“Costs are skyrocketing. MAGA Republicans and Trump control everything in Washington, so you can’t possibly say, ‘Hey, what Democrats are doing is working,’” Moulton said. “The idea that we should just double down on that with the same leaders and the same playbook and the same ideas just doesn’t seem to make sense.”
Implementing Universal Health Care
When asked about reining in health care inflation — Belmont’s town employees alone saw a 24% increase this year — Moulton said that “housing, healthcare and education should just be human rights.”
Moulton outlined a plan for universal health care that “preserves options.” Moulton himself gets care through Veterans Affairs (VA).
Moulton believes the best path forward for health care is to create a national public option to compete with private insurers, which he argues will lower premiums across the board. Moulton argues his plan will drive down costs for both individuals and towns while also preserving health care plans for veterans and union members.
“There are a lot of people at the VA who don’t want to lose the VA and be pushed onto Medicare for All because they like the specialized services the VA provides,” he said.
This fiscal year, town employees with Harvard Pilgrim will pay $322 per month for an individual plan and $873 per month for a family plan, based on a 75-25 split, in which the town pays 75% and the employees pay 25%. Those grandfathered into the former 80-20 split will pay $258 per month for an individual plan or $699 for a family plan.
The rates will be in effect at least until Jan. 1, 2027, when the town plans to join the state’s Group Insurance Commission to mitigate rising health care costs.
Housing and Transportation
Five years after the MBTA Communities Act was adopted, the Bay State is still struggling to keep up with housing demand.
Belmont’s housing stock has been largely unchanged for decades, and the town has limited land available for new construction. It’s not alone, but Moulton said increasing the state’s housing supply means investing in something else: transportation.
“The MBTA Communities Act law, let’s be honest, that’s not going to be transformative for housing; we’re not going to see a 20 percent increase in housing just because of this law,” Moulton said. “The effects my rail plan would have in Massachusetts are pretty transformative in terms of housing.”
Moulton argues for creating a high-speed rail that connects Boston with suburbs in the central and western parts of the state, allowing for easier commuting. He claims the plan would take over 90 million cars off the road every year.
“It would be really transformative, both for Western Massachusetts and Eastern Massachusetts,” Moulton said.
By increasing speed and access to other parts of the state, Moulton argues that developers would be motivated to build in less-dense areas, driving up the housing supply and corralling costs across the board.
Immigration Enforcement
In the wake of the shooting of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in Biddeford, Maine earlier this week, Moulton again called for the abolition of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), something he claims he has argued for before Markey began speaking out.
“These thugs, these criminals, who are wearing federal badges, need to be prosecuted for breaking the law,” Moulton said. “You can’t have law enforcement that thinks they’re above the law. That’s what they have in Russia and China and Iran, not here.”
Moulton said Democrats need more elected officials willing to take aggressive stances against President Donald Trump and other Republicans, even if it means challenging Democratic leadership.
“We just need stronger fighters, people who are not afraid of the culture, people who are willing to challenge it,” Moulton said.
Foreign Affairs
When asked how he will represent the interests of both Jewish and Palestinian constituents in Washington, Moulton said his approach to the “divisive” issue boils down to the principles of rights and freedoms.
“Israelis and Palestinians deserve the same rights and freedoms. You can’t have different rights and freedoms for Israelis versus Palestinians. They all deserve democracy,” he said.
Last year, Moulton pledged to return all donations he had received from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and refused to accept future campaign funding from the organization. Markey has not received any AIPAC donations in his tenure as a senator.
Editor’s Note: The coalition of local news outlets is talking with Sen. Markey’s office to schedule a time to speak with the incumbent.
