U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton is challenging U.S. Sen. Ed Markey for his seat.
Moulton announced his campaign for Senate on Wednesday, arguing for a new generation of leadership in the Democratic Party.
“We’re in crisis, and with everything we learned last election, I just don’t believe Sen. Markey should be running for another six-year term at 80 years old,” Moulton said in a video accompanying his announcement.
Markey, who is running for his third full term in the Senate, is 79 years old; Moulton is 46 years old.
Moulton has represented Massachusetts’ 6th Congressional District, which covers the northeastern part of the state, for a decade, after defeating nine-term incumbent John Tierney in the 2014 Democratic primary.
In the announcement video, Moulton criticized the Democratic Party for sticking to the status quo and not fighting hard enough.
“The next generation will keep paying the cost if we don’t change course,” he said. “This isn’t a fight we can put off for another six years. The future we all believe in is on the line.”
Moulton, a Marine veteran, touted a focus on affordability, health care, climate change and banning assault weapons. He said he wants Massachusetts to “lead the nation in big, forward-looking, progressive solutions that make life better for working people.”
Last year, Moulton was among the first Congressional leaders to call on President Joe Biden to end his reelection campaign to allow for “a new generation of Democratic leaders.”
He came under fire by many in his own party for comments he made about transgender children participating in sports. Moulton said the backlash proved his point that many in his party struggled to have “discussions about contentious issues.”
Moulton briefly campaigned for president in 2019.
This story was originally published by WBUR.
