2020 contender Seth Moulton is making waves among voters despite challenging Democratic overlord Nancy Pelosi
The latest candidate to join the 2020 Democratic presidential bid is being perceived as a young outsider with fresh ideas and military experience — a combination that might play a key role during the primaries.
Rep. Seth Moulton, a Democrat from Massachusetts, is a Marine Corps veteran and surprisingly, an outspoken opponent of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
"Ask anyone who’s lost their job to a changing economy or a child to opioids or has to choose between heat and food in the winter, they’re feeling forgotten," Moulton said in his announcement video posted on Twitter on Monday morning. "We need to restore our moral authority in everything we do. Whether it’s appointing a Cabinet member, negotiating a treaty or signing an executive order, I will always uphold America’s values."
Considering Moulton is entering the overwhelming primary field as an outsider, he is heavily leaning on his youth and military service. Breaking a Democrat stereotype, the 40-year-old has called for a new generation of leadership in the White House and openly called for the old guard to step down, especially Speaker Pelosi.
According to Moulton (and his supporters), it is time to dethrone the longtime House leader because the party power is heavily concentrated at the top. He pointed out that younger members of the House are wasting their potential waiting for years to ascend to a committee chair position, let alone the leadership of the House.
The three-term Congress member from the Bay State has degrees from Harvard and has toured Iraq four times as a Marine. Nonetheless, he's still a novice in politics.
Moulton has the backing of allies who make him stand out, especially military leaders like David Petraeus and Stanley McChrystal. What appeals to his base is the fact that he's socially progressive who is fiscally more moderate than several contenders who have majorly shifted to the left of late. At the same time, he is seen as the face of the future of the Democratic Party — someone who could diffuse the stubborn ideological conflict that has mired the country.
Several voters who have walked away from the party are finally seeing a ray of hope in Moulton, and not because of his legislative achievements. He is one of the only candidates to not compare President Trump with Hitler or brand him a serial liar. Furthermore, his four tours in Iraq in a span of five years, two medals of valor he has never bragged about, as well as his service in the special counterinsurgency team that reported directly to Petraeus, have arguably made him the antithesis of Trump in the eyes of his supporters.
The former Marine Corps officer was not taken seriously for years together — he was basically part of a roster of veteran candidates with a promising fundraising network set to seize upon the unrest in the Democratic party.
When he unsuccessfully sought to remove Nancy Pelosi as House leader last fall, he angered a lot of women — many of whom were in his district. They couldn't bear the prospect of losing the first woman to hold the speaker's gavel.
Moulton's base loves that he brings rarely-discussed subjects such as national security, national service, and foreign policy to the public forum. According to him, the government must work to expand AmeriCorps and the Peace Corps so that some form of national service becomes the norm — although voluntary.
So far, the Democratic presidential race is brimming with controversial stances on the economy race, universal healthcare, and even eliminating the longstanding constitutional Electoral College. Moulton may just be the moderate answer the left is desperately looking for.