Massachusetts state senator mulls Democratic primary bid against anti-Pelosi ringleader

by Jeff Singer for Daily Kos Elections

Daily Kos Staff Emeritus

Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2018 Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2018 at 1:11:22pm PST

U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton questions senior military leaders during a House Armed Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, March 7, 2017. U.S. Air Force Gen. Selva, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, testified alongside U.S. Air Force Gen. John E. Hyten, commander of U.S. Strategic Command; U.S. Navy Adm. Bill Moran, Vice Chief of Naval Operations; and U.S. Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Stephen Wilson. They spoke about the continuing relevance of U.S. nuclear forces for our national security and the steps the Joint Force is taking to modernize and replace them. He also stated that U.S. weapons, delivery systems, the infrastructure that supports them, and the personnel who operate, monitor, and maintain them are prepared today to respond to any contingency. (DoD Photo by U.S. Army Sgt. James K. McCann) — Rep. Seth Moulton

Massachusetts Rep. Seth Moulton has inflamed plenty of local Democratic activists with his ongoing campaign to keep Nancy Pelosi from becoming speaker (Moulton still hasn’t even come up with an alternative candidate), and one local elected official has opened the door to challenging him in a 2020 primary. Outgoing state Sen. Barbara L’Italien, who ran in the very crowded primary for the neighboring 3rd District this year and took third place with 15 percent, told Boston’s NBC affiliate that she was considering taking on Moulton. L’Italien lives in Moulton’s 6th Congressional District, but only a little less than a quarter of her state Senate seat is in the 6th.

Massachusetts’s 6th District, which includes several communities north of Boston, backed Hillary Clinton 56-38, so it should stay blue without much trouble no matter what happens in the primary. However, there’s no guarantee that Moulton will stick around to confront an intra-party challenge. The congressman hasn’t ruled out waging his own primary campaign against Sen. Ed Markey, and while he did say no to a 2020 presidential bid in October, he still gets mentioned as a possible White House candidate in plenty of stories.