U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton brought his uphill Senate campaign to Newton on Tuesday, Aug. 18, sitting down with young voters at Johnny's Luncheonette to talk housing costs and transit before working the crowd at the Newton Farmers Market at Cold Spring Park.
The Salem congressman is challenging incumbent U.S. Sen. Ed Markey in the Sept. 1 Democratic primary. Early voting at Newton City Hall, 100 Walnut St., opens Saturday, Aug. 22.
Housing affordability dominated the luncheonette roundtable, Fig City News reported. Young attendees pressed Moulton on whether they could afford to stay in Massachusetts after college. Moulton argued that faster rail connections to Boston would let people live farther from the city without sacrificing access to jobs, pointing to his American High-Speed Rail Act as a vehicle for change.
That bill, which Moulton reintroduced in May with 48 co-sponsors including Massachusetts Reps. Lori Trahan, Jim McGovern and Jake Auchincloss, would authorize up to $41 billion a year for five years toward high-speed passenger rail and includes incentives for affordable housing near rail hubs. Prior versions in 2021 and 2024 stalled in subcommittee, according to the Lowell Sun.
Two days before the Newton stop, Moulton told ABC News: "One out of three residents of Massachusetts thought about leaving the state last year because costs are too high. Housing costs are skyrocketing, electricity bills are twice the national average."
The roundtable also touched on homelessness, abortion and transgender athletes. Moulton, 47, a Marine Corps veteran who has represented the 6th Congressional District since 2015, has made generational change a centerpiece of his challenge to Markey, who is 80 and has served in Congress for nearly five decades.
Polls show Markey with a wide lead
The odds are steep. A UMass Amherst/WCVB poll conducted Aug. 5–12 found Markey leading 60% to 32% among likely Democratic primary voters, with a 5.8-point margin of error. A Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll released Aug. 18 put the gap at 52%–38%.
Moulton dismissed the UMass numbers. "Unfortunately, it's just not a trusted pollster. The methodology is way off," he told WCVB on Aug. 17.
Moulton and Markey are set to hold their final debate Thursday, Aug. 20, at 8 p.m. on WCVB-TV and WBUR.
How Newton voters can cast a ballot
Early voting runs Saturday, Aug. 22, through Friday, Aug. 28, at Newton City Hall, 100 Walnut St.:
- Saturday, Aug. 22, and Sunday, Aug. 23: 11 a.m.–5 p.m.
- Monday through Friday, Aug. 24–28: 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m. (Tuesday, Aug. 25, extended to 8 p.m.)
The voter registration deadline and last day to change party affiliation is Aug. 22. Vote-by-mail applications are due by 5 p.m. Aug. 25. The primary itself is Tuesday, Sept. 1.
