Dan Koh, a former Biden administration aide, has won a crowded six-candidate Democratic primary in Massachusetts’ 6th Congressional District, putting him on track to succeed Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., in a seat considered safely Democratic.
Koh carried the endorsements of former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris. He previously served as chief of staff to then-Labor Secretary Marty Walsh before becoming deputy assistant to the president and deputy director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs.
This is not Koh’s first bid for Congress. He narrowly lost the 2018 Democratic primary in Massachusetts’ nearby 3rd Congressional District to Rep. Lori Trahan, D-Mass.
Koh’s platform includes abolishing what he calls “Trump’s ICE,” a reference to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, along with support for universal healthcare.
He now advances to face Republican military veteran Micah Jones, who ran unopposed in his own primary, in the general election for the 6th District, which covers the northeastern portion of Massachusetts.
Moulton’s Senate bid falls short
Moulton, a Marine Corps veteran who has represented the 6th District since 2015, gave up the seat to run for Senate against incumbent Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass. That primary concluded Tuesday night with Markey, 80, defeating Moulton, 47.
Moulton campaigned on generational change, arguing that Markey, in office since 2013, had missed his window to deliver results for Massachusetts residents. Markey drew support from prominent figures on the party’s left, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.
Koh, meanwhile, comes from a family with deep ties to the federal government. His father, Howard Koh, served as an assistant secretary in the Department of Health and Human Services under President Barack Obama, and his uncle served under both the Obama and Clinton administrations.
