Politics & Government

Moulton 'Ready to Serve Again,' Launches Campaign Online

The Salem businessman, Democrat and former Marine has launched his effort to oust Congressman John Tierney.

Seth Moulton, who announced this week that he's planning to run in the Democratic Primary against Congressman John Tierney for the Massachusetts 6th District congressional seat, has taken to the internet to start that run.

"Something is wrong in Washington," Moulton says in the video on his campaign website. "How is it that I fought so hard for my country but I find it so hard to trust members of Congress to put America in front of their own political interests?"

He goes on to criticize politicians who stay in office "for decades," presumably targeting Tierney, who was first elected in 1996, and says challenging him "won't be easy."

"They're fighting for their own political future, with their donors, with whatever it takes to stay in power, and they're not fighting for us."

In contrast with Tierney's most recent challengers, Moulton's video makes no direct reference to the scandal involving Tierney's fugitive brother-in-law Robert Eremian, Eremian's illegal offshore gambling operation or Tierney's wife Patrice's involvement in managing a bank account connected with that operation.

'Make No Mistake, I'm a Democrat'


Moulton, 34, has garnered a reputation as a centrist, which may position him as a contrast to the more progressive Tierney. And he criticizes gridlock in Congress and calls for Democrats fibnding ways to bring more people together.

And according to the Boston Globe, in 2012 Moulton considered running for the seat as an independent, because it was too late to be on either party's primary ballot that year. He eventually decided against that.

But in his video he emphasizes his Democratic Party affiliation and left-leaning views on socio-economic issues and the environment. And he's receiving help from some strong Democratic operatives, the Boston Globe reports.

"I believe we're all in this together, and we have a responsibility to one another," he says.

From Baghdad to Health Care


Moulton, who lives in Salem and was raised in Marblehead, Phillips Academy in Andover and Harvard College before enlisting in the Marines. Later he received  a master's degree from the John F. Kennedy School of Government and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Moulton served four tours in Iraq in the course of five years, leading a platoon in the First Marine Division which entered Baghdad in 2003, and then working with Iraqi security. Later he returned to Iraq to serve as special assistant to Gen. David Petraeus.

"And while I believe that the war was a mistake, I don't regret doing what I could to serve our country," Moulton says. "By leading the 36 brave Marines in my platoon, I learned what service really means."

After leaving the Marines, Moulton served as managing director of Texas Central Railway, overseeing the engineering of a high-speed rail between Dallas and Houston.

In 2011 Moulton co-founded Eastern Healthcare Partners -- which focuses on  reducing the costs of preventable diseases such as obesity and diabetes. He currently serves as president of that company.

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