With Moulton chasing Markey's seat, candidates flood 6th District race

U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton's announcement that he'll challenge Sen. Ed Markey in next year's primary has created a political vacuum in the Massachusetts 6th Congressional District. It hasn't taken long for candidates to jump to fill that void.

Former White House senior aide Dan Koh announced his bid for the 6th on Thursday, just a day after Moulton expressed his desire to take a job at the other end of the U.S. Capitol.

Koh, the longtime chief of staff for former Boston Mayor and U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, lost a tight primary fight against current 3rd District Rep. Lori Trahan in 2018.

“I refuse to sit on the sidelines and watch Trump and his rich friends dismantle our country," Koh said in a video announcement. "I’m asking for the families of Massachusetts’ 6th District to send me to Congress, so I can take the fight directly to Trump and deliver the results our community deserves.”

Koh wasn't the only candidate to launch following Moulton's announcement. Topsfield Town Moderator and former state Rep. Jamie Belsito said she will run, calling herself "a Democrat who won't apologize."

"While Trump wages war on our democracy, too many Democrats argue about whether we need to abandon transgender Americans or abortion rights," Belsito said in a statement. "I’m a Democrat who won’t apologize for human rights, universal healthcare, and a fair economy with good union jobs. We don’t need to choose between these values, we need to lead on them."

Beth Andres-Beck, a software engineer from Middeton, announced their candidacy in July. Andres-Beck, 40, challenged Moulton in July, saying his comments about transgender children and sports spurred their run.

"I think it's deeply alienating to have politicians who want to use you as a prop," they told WBUR in July. "It says that he is not thinking about any particular person when he is talking that way. It tells me he doesn't have trans friends."

Open congressional seats are rare in Massachusetts, where elected officials seem to stick around for years or even decades. The opportunity created by Moulton's Senate challenge will likely draw more candidates.

Earlier this month, Lynn Mayor Jared Nicholson told Politico he would consider a run if Moulton were to challenge Markey. Moulton Chief of Staff Rick Jakious has also been rumored to be weighing an entry into the race, and has support from some current and former Moulton staffers.

But some big names in North Shore politics may not join the cattle call. Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, former mayor of Salem, is "all in for her reelection campaign," according to spokesperson Dave Guarino. And state Sen. Brendan Crighton told The Boston Globe he considered a run but decided it "wasn't the right time."