Moulton could draw challengers

BOSTON — Rep. Seth Moulton drew swift condemnation from local Democratic leaders and LGBTQ+ advocates for comments he made about transgender youth in sports in the wake of Democrats’ defeats earlier this month.

But will the discontent translate to real competition next cycle? It’s early, but some potential challengers are already beginning to stir.

Dan Koh, a former Andover selectman who narrowly lost the race for the open seat in the neighboring 3rd District in 2018, has been making — and fielding — calls about a possible campaign against Moulton, according to a person granted anonymity to discuss the conversations.

Koh served as chief of staff to former Boston Mayor Marty Walsh. He followed his then-boss to Washington when President Joe Biden plucked Walsh from City Hall to lead his Labor department, and he stuck around when Walsh gave up his Cabinet slot to head the NHL Players’ Association.

He currently works as deputy director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs — a position with an expiration date as Donald Trump prepares to return to the White House next year. And despite working in Washington, he still owns a home in Andover, which was swept into Moulton’s district as a result of redistricting in 2021. But Koh, who didn’t respond to calls yesterday, isn’t the only name kicking around.

Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo raised some eyebrows with a Boston fundraiser earlier this week headlined by his former boss, Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll — an out-of-town event for the North Shore Democrat that sent political watchers chattering about whether the first-term mayor might be angling to challenge Moulton in 2026.

Pangallo isn’t interested in a congressional bid this cycle, saying, “I really enjoy the job I have now, and I think local government is the best way to make a positive difference in people’s lives.”

Moulton's office declined to comment.

But the buzz shows that the backlash that bubbled up over Moulton’s comments isn’t dying — at least not yet — as Democrats remain divided over the future of their party and what’s to blame for their across-the-board defeats. And it’s the latest against-the-grain move by Moulton that a potential challenger could seize on to try and build a case against the fifth-term incumbent.

“I believe that he is vulnerable, and it’s not just because of the recent comments,” Democratic political consultant Doug Rubin told Playbook. “Challenging [former Speaker Nancy] Pelosi a while ago, the run for president — I think all of those things have the potential to rub voters the wrong way in his district and provide an opening for a candidate to make a credible campaign.”

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