Seth Moulton

Moulton was born on October 24, 1978, in Salem, Massachusetts, to Lynn Alice (née Meader), a secretary, and Wilbur Thomas Moulton, Jr., a real-estate attorney. He has two younger siblings, Eliza and Cyrus, and grew up in Marblehead, Massachusetts. He graduated from Phillips Academy in 1997, and attended Harvard College, where he earned a bachelor of science in physics in 2001. He gave the Undergraduate English Oration at his commencement, focusing on the importance of service. Moulton joined the Marine Corps after graduation, a few months before the September 11 attacks. He attended the Officer Candidate School in Quantico, Virginia, and graduated in 2002 with the rank of second lieutenant. ==Military career==

During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Moulton led one of the first infantry platoons to enter Baghdad. He served a total of four tours of duty in Iraq from 2003 to 2008. Moulton took part in the 2003 Battle of Nasiriyah, leading a platoon that cleared a hostile stronghold. In that action, he went to the aid of a Marine wounded by friendly fire, and for his actions was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal for valor.(official, visible citation needed) Moulton was active in combat against insurgent forces in Iraq, including the 2004 Battle of Najaf against the militia of Muqtada al-Sadr. Over two days, he "fearlessly exposed himself to enemy fire" as his platoon was pinned down under heavy fire and then directed the supporting fire that repelled the attack. He received the Bronze Star Medal for his actions in this battle. In 2008, during Moulton's fourth tour of duty in Iraq, General David Petraeus requested that he be assigned to work as a special liaison with tribal leaders in Southern Iraq. After that tour, Moulton was discharged from the Marine Corps with the rank of captain. The show ended after three months when Moulton's unit left the area. Moulton was also prominently featured in the 2007 Academy Award-nominated documentary No End in Sight. In the film, he criticizes the U.S. government's handling of the occupation of Iraq. Director Charles H. Ferguson chose to include Moulton and two other Iraq veterans. ==Private sector career==

After graduate school, he worked for one year as managing director of the Texas Central Railway, a transportation firm. In 2011, Moulton and a graduate-school classmate founded Eastern Healthcare Partners, which Moulton has invoked to show he was a successful entrepreneur who understands what it's like to face that day when one might not meet payroll. The company raised investor funds and drafted a partnership agreement with Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, but in October 2014, the Boston Globe reported that by the time Moulton ran for Congress, EHP had no revenue, was still incubating, and had closed its only Massachusetts office. ==U.S. House of Representatives==

Elections 2012 speculation Moulton considered running against Democratic Representative John F. Tierney of Massachusetts's 6th congressional district as an independent in 2012, but decided against it in July 2012, saying, "the time and the logistics of putting together all the campaign infrastructure, organizing the volunteers ... the fundraising—it's just too much to accomplish in three months." He told Roll Call that his own polling "showed there was in fact a clear path to victory" and said he might run for office in the future. 2014 election On July 8, 2013, Moulton announced his candidacy in the 2014 congressional race for Massachusetts's 6th district. The race had been recognized for its competitiveness by national and regional media throughout the election cycle. Moulton challenged Tierney in the Democratic primary. Tierney's campaign claimed in campaign advertisements that Moulton received campaign contributions from a New Hampshire political action committee that previously donated only to Republicans, implying that Moulton must hold conservative views. Moulton denied being more conservative than Tierney, and said that the Republican PAC donation was returned. Public Federal Election Commission filings confirmed that the donation was returned in February 2014. Moulton won the primary with 50.8% of the vote to Tierney's 40.1%. For the general election, Moulton was endorsed by Senator Elizabeth Warren. In October 2014, he received criticism from his Republican opponent when he withdrew from a debate sponsored by radio station WGBH to instead attend a series of New York fundraisers hosted by Democratic National Committee chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. The campaigns of Moulton and his Republican opponent, state Senator Richard Tisei, were held up as an example of a race where voters could respect both candidates and choose the better one, instead of having to choose the less undesirable one. Moulton won the general election with 55.0% of the vote to Tisei's 41.1%. 2016 election Moulton was unopposed for reelection in 2016. 2018 election Moulton ran against Republican nominee Joseph Schneider in 2018. He won with 65.2% of the vote. In 2018 Moulton created the Serve America PAC, which helped elect Democratic candidates with national service experience. 2020 election Moulton faced his first primary challenge since taking office. He defeated Democratic challengers Angus McQuilken and Jamie Belsito with 78% of the vote, and defeated Republican nominee John Paul Moran with 65.4% of the vote. Moulton refused to debate May, calling him an "election denier," citing the Republican candidate's refusal to recognize that President Joe Biden had won the 2020 presidential election. 2024 election Moulton ran for re-election in 2024. He was unopposed and won re-election. 2026 election On September 24, 2025, The Boston Globe reported that Moulton was considering challenging Ed Markey in the 2026 U.S. Senate Democratic primary in Massachusetts. Moulton announced his campaign on October 15, 2025. Challenge to Nancy Pelosi as House Democratic Leader After the Democrats captured a majority in the House of Representatives in the 2018 midterm elections, Moulton spearheaded an effort to oust Nancy Pelosi as House Democratic leader and called for a "new generation of leadership". Moulton stated he was “100 percent confident” that Pelosi lacked the votes to remain as Democratic leader. He offered Representative Karen Bass as his first choice for Democratic leader, though Bass rejected such nomination and continued her support of Pelosi. On November 28, 2018, Pelosi easily won the Democratic nomination for Speaker of the House by a 203-to-32 vote of the Democratic caucus, with Moulton reversing himself and voting for Pelosi. The two explained that their visit was kept secret to minimize disruption, and that its goal was "to provide guidance" to the Biden administration. • Subcommittee on Strategic Forces • Subcommittee on Cyber, Information Technologies, and Innovation • Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure • Subcommittee on Highways and Transit • Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials • Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment • Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party Caucus memberships • Congressional Taiwan Caucus • Black Maternal Health Caucus • Congressional Ukraine Caucus • New Democrat Coalition • Blue Collar Caucus • For Country Caucus • Rare Disease Caucus ==Serve America PAC==

In 2017, Moulton founded Serve America, a political action committee that aims to help elect candidates with national service experience, focusing primarily, but not exclusively, on military service. The organization offers a network for candidates to build a community and receive advice from each other and Moulton. This was beneficial for candidates like Abigail Spanberger who said, "[Moulton has] created a network of people who are able to lean on each other, share experiences, and discuss what the campaigns are like." In 2018, Serve America worked towards flipping the U.S. House of Representatives majority from Republican to Democrat. In the 2018 election cycle, the PAC raised over $7.5 million for the candidates it endorsed. It raised the third largest amount of money among Democrats (after House majority leader Steny Hoyer and Senator Kamala Harris), according to campaign-finance non-profit Issue One. During the midterm cycle, Serve America publicly supported 34 congressional Democratic candidates, out of which 18 were elected. Out of those 18, 15 had flipped from Republican to Democratic, representing more than half of the 28 seats Democrats gained. First-time candidates endorsed by Serve America who won their elections in the 2020 cycle included Mark Kelly from Arizona and Jake Auchincloss from Massachusetts' 4th District. They also re-endorsed 21 successful incumbent candidates. In the 2022 cycle, Serve America endorsed six first-time candidates who won their election. ==2020 U.S. Presidential campaign==

Early in 2019, Moulton began to recruit staff for a potential campaign for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. He traveled to early primary states such as Iowa and New Hampshire in March 2019. Moulton sought to become just the second sitting congressman in U.S. history to be elected President of the United States. Moulton officially announced his candidacy for the U.S. presidency on April 22, 2019. During the primary campaign, Moulton knocked Democratic frontrunner, then former Vice President Joe Biden, over his vote in favor of authorizing the Iraq War in 2002. Moulton criticized progressive primary contender Senator Bernie Sanders, stating "Bernie wants to change us into a socialist country, and we're not a socialist country." Moulton challenged Senator Elizabeth Warren's proposal to break up the largest U.S. tech companies, arguing “She’s completely ignored what’s going on in China. If we just break up all the American tech companies, China’s going to eat our lunch." A Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll for the 2020 New Hampshire Democratic Presidential Primary conducted August 1 to 4 surveyed 500 voters and did not find a single Moulton supporter. On August 7, 2019, Moulton laid off approximately half of his 30 person campaign staff amid low polling and fundraising. The Moulton presidential campaign raised just $1 million during the 2019 calendar year. After Moulton dropped out of the 2020 presidential race in August 2019, then-President Donald Trump sarcastically tweeted in response: "The Dow is down 573 points on the news that Representative Seth Moulton, whoever that may be, has dropped out of the 2020 Presidential Race!" The Moulton campaign expressed hope that Moulton would be considered for a key administration post if a Democrat won the White House in 2020, such as secretary of veterans affairs, defense secretary or United Nations ambassador. However, President-elect Joe Biden did not offer Moulton any executive nomination or role in his presidential cabinet in 2021. == 2026 U.S. Senate campaign ==

On October 15, 2025, Moulton announced he would challenge Massachusetts' incumbent U.S. Senator Ed Markey in the 2026 U.S. Senate Democratic primary in Massachusetts. On October 16, 2025, Moulton announced his campaign would return previous donations from AIPAC, citing the organization's support of the current Israeli government. Prior to Moulton's denouncement of AIPAC in October, Moulton had spent months pursuing AIPAC's endorsement for the 2026 Massachusetts Senate race in the spring and summer of 2025 with multiple direct endorsement requests according to the Jewish Insider. However, Moulton's campaign was cited not returning the full donation, holding on to over $40,000 worth of the contribution. ==Political positions==

Moulton has been called a moderate Democrat who has urged compromise and bipartisanship as well as open debate on controversial topics to push back against what he says is the "extremist" agenda of the Trump administration. Moulton is a member of the New Democrat Coalition, a congressional caucus of Democrats who call themselves "moderate", "pro-growth", and "fiscally responsible", and whom others call "centrist." Moulton was ranked the 34th most bipartisan member of the U.S. House of Representatives during the 114th United States Congress by the Lugar Center and the McCourt School of Public Policy's Bipartisan Index, which ranks members of by their degree of bipartisanship (by measuring how often each member's bills attract co-sponsors from the opposite party and how often each member co-sponsors bills by members of the opposite party). Animal welfare In 2025, Moulton received a score of 100 from the Humane World Action Fund, the political advocacy arm of Humane World for Animals, reflecting support for the organization’s priority animal-protection legislation during the most recent Congress. Moulton endorsed a 2016 Massachusetts ballot measure, Question 3, designed to protect the welfare of farmed animals. The measure required Massachusetts farmers to give chickens, pigs, and calves enough room to turn around, stand up, lie down, and fully extend their limbs. It also prohibited the sale of eggs or meat from animals raised in conditions that did not meet these standards. In 2022, Moulton was among a bipartisan group of 19 members of Congress who called on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to enact federal protections for cephalopods (such as octopuses, squid, and cuttlefish) used in laboratory research and to update federal animal welfare policies to include these species, and he helped lead congressional letters to NIH and HHS reiterating these requests. Cannabis Moulton has admitted to using cannabis and supports its legalization, saying, "If you're not buying your marijuana from a dealer who sells heroin, who sells opioids, it's much less likely to be a gateway drug. The problem is now that it operates in the shadows. There's no control whatsoever. Someone goes and buys an edible, for example, there's no regulation about what's in that. It's like moonshine under Prohibition." Economics According to The Boston Globe, "one of Moulton’s biggest focuses is addressing the long-term impact of automation on the economy, which he says will disproportionately affect working-class communities." In 2015, Moulton co-sponsored legislation to increase the federal minimum wage to $12 an hour. In February 2019, Moulton said that he supported an increase to $15 an hour. In 2019, Moulton criticized Trump's withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership and said that, if elected president, he would reengage in negotiations for "a strong, fair trade deal for the Pacific on our terms, not China's". He also criticized Trump's use of tariffs, telling The Hill that although tariffs remain an option for trade policy the emphasis should be "a comprehensive strategy" and building "our alliances in the Pacific". In November 2025, following the election of Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York City, Moulton voted with 85 other House Democrats on a Republican-led resolution "denouncing the horrors of socialism". Foreign policy Moulton opposed sending U.S. troops back to Iraq in 2014. He also supported strengthening NATO against Russia and keeping troops in Afghanistan temporarily to execute a counterterrorist mission in 2019. Moulton criticized President Joe Biden for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, citing the chaotic evacuation of Afghans who had supported the U.S. in the effort to fight terrorism. He and Representative Don Bacon later co-sponsored the WELCOMED Act, to provide benefits and eligibility for resettlement to Afghan recipients of Special Immigrant Visas, which Biden signed into law on October 1, 2021. In June 2025, Moulton co-signed a letter led by Rep. Josh Gottheimer, asking Trump to comply with the TikTok divest-or-ban law and not grant further extensions to the deadline. In October 2025, Moulton announced he would be returning donations from AIPAC, a pro-Israel lobbying group, citing its support for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The announcement was made one day after Track AIPAC criticized him for accepting $120,000 in donations from the Israel lobby. Jewish Insider reported that he wanted AIPAC's endorsement for the 2026 Senate race and spurned it after failing to secure the endorsement. Moulton supported US strikes on Iran in the Twelve-Day War. Social issues Moulton supports abortion rights and same-sex marriage. He supports legal immigration and advocates for immigration reform, but opposes illegal immigration and has called it "something we have to confront". In August 2023, Moulton was one of nine House Democrats who voted in favor of a Republican-led amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) prohibiting the teaching of "race-based theories" in schools operated by the Department of Defense Education Activity, introduced by Rep. Chip Roy. It was opposed by most Democrats as part of a broader Republican effort to target so-called "Critical Race Theory". Transgender issues In 2022 and 2023, Moulton cosponsored the Transgender Bill of Rights and voted in favor of the Equality Act. Following Kamala Harris's loss to Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election, Moulton expressed opposition to transgender participation in girls' sports. Moulton commented: "'Democrats spend way too much time trying not to offend anyone rather than being brutally honest about the challenges many Americans face. I have two little girls, I don't want them getting run over on a playing field by a male or formerly male athlete, but as a Democrat I'm supposed to be afraid to say that'". Following his remarks, his campaign manager, Matt Chilliak, resigned in protest, and his comments were condemned by Salem mayor Dominick Pangallo and by Massachusetts state Rep. Manny Cruz, the vice-chair of the Salem School Committee. He also faced protest from constituents. Moulton released a response on November 8, 2024 doubling down on his statement. Moulton said in a follow-up interview that it was "kind of weird" to include pronouns after signatures in emails. He later asserted that Trump's policies would be "extremely harmful" to transgender children and that transgender children "deserve our support", but still described Democrats as "out of touch" on transgender issues. He added that "The backlash proves my point". On November 13, 2024 the Salem Democratic City Committee vowed to find someone to run against Moulton in the Democratic primaries for the 2026 midterm elections due to his comments, with the chair of the local Democratic committee in Salem referring to him in an email as a "cooperator" in "Nazi times." On November 17, hundreds of people in Salem gathered at his office in the town at a rally held in protest at his remarks, co-organized by city councillor Kyle Davis. On November 25, 2024 Moulton said in an interview with the Rolling Stone that the media, in particular The New York Times, had misrepresented his position on transgender issues following the election. Moulton clarified that he still supports transgender rights, but simply wanted Democrats to be more open to talking about the issue, saying "Republicans are trying to take away civil rights from trans people, and they're getting away with it because Democrats refuse to even engage in the debate." He also claimed that Democrats need to improve their messaging on transgender rights, but that Democrats should still defend such rights. Moulton additionally clarified that he was not proposing that Democrats should ban transgender women from women's sports, but instead just "wanted [Democrats] to have a message to fight back against attacks". He also described Nancy Mace's attacks on transgender rights following the election as "abhorrent". In January 2025 Moulton voted against the "Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act" which would have banned trans women and girl's from competing in women's sports nationwide. Moulton said the bill was "too extreme" and "not the sort of balanced, fairness-oriented policy I've advocated for." Also in January 2025, Moulton condemned Donald Trump's Executive Order 14168. Moulton stated "this is why I've been pushing the Democratic Party to actually stop denying that this is an issue, and that we have to have a response." Moulton said in September 2025 that a "fear of backlash" stops many Democratic lawmakers from changing their positions on cultural issues and criticized what he described as "Democratic purity tests." In November 2025, after announcing his bid for the US Senate, Moulton claimed to support trans rights and vowed to "support and lead legislation like the Transgender Bill of Rights" if he is elected to the Senate. Moulton also claimed there "is no room in the Democratic Party for complete opposition to trans rights" and he vowed to "fight to pass full federal LGBTQ+ anti-discrimination policies" and support the Equality Act. Moulton mentioned that he had listened to feedback from people who "were hurt by how [he] framed [his] comments in the past about the best way to protect the trans community". Moulton reiterated that his "intent has always been to push our party to have honest, tough conversations so we can fight back more effectively against the far-right attacks on LGBTQ Americans. I remain committed to protecting the rights and dignity of transgender Americans". Mental health In 2022, Moulton wrote the legislation which shortened the phone number for the National Suicide and Mental Health Crisis Hotline to 988. He also introduced the Brandon Act, a law intended to improve mental health access for active duty armed service members. Cybersecurity In September 2018, Moulton, Elise Stefanik, and Dan Donovan co-sponsored the "Cyber Ready Workforce Act", advanced by Jacky Rosen. The legislation would create a grant program within the Department of Labor to "create, implement and expand registered apprenticeships" in cybersecurity. It aims to offer certifications and connect participants with businesses to "boost the number" of workers for federal cybersecurity jobs. Voting age In January 2023, Moulton was one of 13 cosponsors of an amendment to the Constitution of the United States extending the right to vote to citizens 16 years of age or older. Energy policy Moulton supports the expansion of renewable energy and the diversification of the energy grid. He is supportive of carbon pricing and banning fossil fuel extraction on federal lands. Moulton voted in favor of the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022, which included historic funding into renewable energy innovation and implementation. Moulton is also a supporter of nuclear energy. In a 2019 interview, he called nuclear energy "a safe, good investment...for the future of our country." He has also expressed support for the expansion of research and development for fusion power. Environmental policy In December 13, 2018, Moulton signed on to support the Green New Deal, citing the dangers of climate change, which he considers a national security threat, and citing the economic and environmental benefits that would come as a result of the deal. Moulton also voted in favor of the landmark conservation bill, the John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act, in 2019. Donald Trump In a March 2016 interview, Moulton compared the rise of Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler's rise to power in the 1930s. Moulton said that, to understand how an educated society "can elect a demagogue", voters should read about how the German people elected Hitler in the early 20th century. Moulton walked out of President Trump's 2020 State of the Union address, citing the part of the address about the administration's contributions to the military and service members. Moulton said: "Trump—a draft dodger who has mocked Senator John McCain, Gold Star families, and soldiers with traumatic brain injury—started talking about the good he has done for our military." Gun control On June 15, 2016, Moulton appeared on the cover of the New York Daily News with the headline "No Civilian Should Own This Gun", in reference to semi-automatic assault weapons. The cover shows Moulton during a deployment to Iraq, carrying an issued M4 carbine. Moulton penned an opinion piece promoting gun control, including the statement: "There's simply no reason for a civilian to own a military-style assault weapon. It's no different than why we outlaw civilian ownership of rockets and landmines." Joe Biden On July 4, 2024, Moulton was the third U.S. representative to call for Joe Biden to withdraw from the 2024 United States presidential election. On July 19, 2024, Moulton published an Op-Ed in the Boston Globe elaborating on President Joe Biden's mental decline and the need for a new Democratic Party nominee in 2024. Moulton explained, "Recently, I saw [President Biden] in a small group at Normandy for the 80th anniversary of D-Day. For the first time, he didn’t seem to recognize me. Of course, that can happen as anyone ages, but as I watched [Biden's] disastrous debate a few weeks ago, I have to admit that what I saw in Normandy was part of a deeper problem." ==Personal life==

On June 23, 2017, Moulton announced his engagement to his girlfriend Liz Boardman, a senior client partner at an executive search firm. They were married at the Old North Church in Marblehead, Massachusetts, on September 22, 2017. She changed her surname to his, becoming Liz Moulton. Their first child was born in October 2018. In 2019, Moulton announced that he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following his service in the Marine Corps. On August 29, 2020, Moulton announced that the family was expecting a second child, who was born in February 2021. ==Electoral history==