The Making of the President 2020: Seth Moulton
Since beginning this series, two more candidates have announced their candidacy for the Democratic Party's nomination for President. Today's entry concerns the lesser known of the two, Massachusetts Respresentantive Seth Moulton, who announced his candidacy on April 22, 2019.
Seth Wilbur Moulton was born on October 24, 1978, in Salem, Massachusetts. His father was a real estate attorney and his mother worked as a secretary. Moulton grew up in Marblehead, Massachusetts, the oldest of three siblings. He graduated from Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts and attended Harvard University, where he received a bachelor's degree in physics in 2001. Moulton joined the Marine Corps after graduation, just a few months before the September 11 attacks. He attended the Officer Candidate School in Quantico, Virginia, graduating in 2002 with the rank of second lieutenant. He was among the first service members to enter Baghdad at the beginning of the Iraq War.
During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Moulton led a platoon from 1st Battalion, 4th Marines as one of the first infantry platoons to enter Baghdad. He served a total of four tours of duty in Iraq from 2003 to 2008 and took part in the 2003 Battle of Nasiriyah. For his bravery he was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal for valor. Moulton was active in combat during the 2004 Battle of Najaf against the militia of Muqtada al-Sadr, where his platoon was pinned down under heavy fire. He directed the supporting fire that repelled the attack and subsequently received the Bronze Star Medal for his actions. Even as a politician, Moulton was modest about the awards he received, stating "There is a healthy disrespect among veterans who served on the front lines for people who walk around telling war stories". He added, "many others did heroic things and received no awards at all. Look, we served our country, and we served the guys next to us. And it's not something to brag about." A Boston Globe article reported that "his voice choked with emotion" as he added: "The greatest honor of my life was to lead these men in my platoon, even though it was a war that I and they disagreed with."
In 2008, General David Petraeus requested that Moulton be assigned to work as a special liaison with tribal leaders in Southern Iraq. Following that tour which was his fourth in Iraq, Moulton was discharged from the Marine Corps with the rank of captain. Moulton was prominently featured in the 2007 Academy Award-nominated documentary No End in Sight. In the film, Moulton criticized the U.S. government's handling of the occupation of Iraq.
Upon his return from active duty in 2008, Moulton attended a dual-degree program at the Harvard Business School and the Harvard Kennedy School, earning master's degrees in business and public policy in 2011. After graduate school, Moulton worked for one year as managing director of the Texas Central Railway. In 2011, Moulton and a graduate school classmate founded Eastern Healthcare Partners.
Moulton had considered running in Massachusetts's 6th congressional district as an Independent in the 2012 elections, but decided against it. On July 8, 2013, Moulton announced his candidacy in the 2014 congressional race. Moulton also received the first-ever political endorsement from Ret. Gen. Stanley McChrystal during the campaign. Moulton defeated an incumbent in the primary with 50.8% of the vote and was endorsed by Senator Elizabeth Warren in the general election. Moulton won that election and was re-elected in 2016 and again in 2018. As a member of Congress he has served on a number of committees including Budget, Armed Services, Tactical Air and Land Forces, Seapower and Projection Forces, Small Business, and Health and Technology. He is a member of the Congressional Arts Caucus and the Climate Solutions Caucus.
In Moulton's campaign advertisements, he has called himself a "progressive Democrat". Moulton has admitted using marijuana and supports legalization. He said, "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."
Moulton opposed sending U.S. troops back to Iraq in 2014. He supports same-sex marriage and abortion rights as well as increased gun control. In September 2018, Moulton co-sponsored the "Cyber Ready Workforce Act", legislation designed to create a grant program within the Department of Labor for registered apprenticeships in cybersecurity. He has pressed for the North-South Rail Link, a project aimed at uniting Boston's north and south-side MBTA Commuter Rail lines, and linking the commuter rail to Logan International Airport. He is a proponent of public transportation and frequently rides the commuter rail himself. Moulton supports the expansion of nuclear energy.
In a March 2016 interview with The Boston Globe, Moulton compared the rise of Donald Trump with that of Adolf Hitler's rise to power. He stated that, in order to understand how an educated society could "elect a demagogue," voters should study how the German people elected Hitler.
Moulten has lobbied for greater gun control. He appeared on the front page of the June 15, 2016 edition of the New York Daily News with the statement "No Civilian Should Own This Gun", referring to an issued M4 carbine that he was carrying. Moulton penned an op ed piece promoting gun control, in which he wrote, "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."
Moulton visited a number of early primary states such as Iowa and New Hampshire in March 2019 and said that he would make a formal announcement on his candidacy before April 24. Moulton officially announced his candidacy on April 22, 2019. During an appearance on ABC's Good Morning America shortly after, Moulton said, "I’m not a socialist. I’m a Democrat. And I want to make that clear."
Seth Wilbur Moulton was born on October 24, 1978, in Salem, Massachusetts. His father was a real estate attorney and his mother worked as a secretary. Moulton grew up in Marblehead, Massachusetts, the oldest of three siblings. He graduated from Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts and attended Harvard University, where he received a bachelor's degree in physics in 2001. Moulton joined the Marine Corps after graduation, just a few months before the September 11 attacks. He attended the Officer Candidate School in Quantico, Virginia, graduating in 2002 with the rank of second lieutenant. He was among the first service members to enter Baghdad at the beginning of the Iraq War.
During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Moulton led a platoon from 1st Battalion, 4th Marines as one of the first infantry platoons to enter Baghdad. He served a total of four tours of duty in Iraq from 2003 to 2008 and took part in the 2003 Battle of Nasiriyah. For his bravery he was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal for valor. Moulton was active in combat during the 2004 Battle of Najaf against the militia of Muqtada al-Sadr, where his platoon was pinned down under heavy fire. He directed the supporting fire that repelled the attack and subsequently received the Bronze Star Medal for his actions. Even as a politician, Moulton was modest about the awards he received, stating "There is a healthy disrespect among veterans who served on the front lines for people who walk around telling war stories". He added, "many others did heroic things and received no awards at all. Look, we served our country, and we served the guys next to us. And it's not something to brag about." A Boston Globe article reported that "his voice choked with emotion" as he added: "The greatest honor of my life was to lead these men in my platoon, even though it was a war that I and they disagreed with."
In 2008, General David Petraeus requested that Moulton be assigned to work as a special liaison with tribal leaders in Southern Iraq. Following that tour which was his fourth in Iraq, Moulton was discharged from the Marine Corps with the rank of captain. Moulton was prominently featured in the 2007 Academy Award-nominated documentary No End in Sight. In the film, Moulton criticized the U.S. government's handling of the occupation of Iraq.
Upon his return from active duty in 2008, Moulton attended a dual-degree program at the Harvard Business School and the Harvard Kennedy School, earning master's degrees in business and public policy in 2011. After graduate school, Moulton worked for one year as managing director of the Texas Central Railway. In 2011, Moulton and a graduate school classmate founded Eastern Healthcare Partners.
Moulton had considered running in Massachusetts's 6th congressional district as an Independent in the 2012 elections, but decided against it. On July 8, 2013, Moulton announced his candidacy in the 2014 congressional race. Moulton also received the first-ever political endorsement from Ret. Gen. Stanley McChrystal during the campaign. Moulton defeated an incumbent in the primary with 50.8% of the vote and was endorsed by Senator Elizabeth Warren in the general election. Moulton won that election and was re-elected in 2016 and again in 2018. As a member of Congress he has served on a number of committees including Budget, Armed Services, Tactical Air and Land Forces, Seapower and Projection Forces, Small Business, and Health and Technology. He is a member of the Congressional Arts Caucus and the Climate Solutions Caucus.
In Moulton's campaign advertisements, he has called himself a "progressive Democrat". Moulton has admitted using marijuana and supports legalization. He said, "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."
Moulton opposed sending U.S. troops back to Iraq in 2014. He supports same-sex marriage and abortion rights as well as increased gun control. In September 2018, Moulton co-sponsored the "Cyber Ready Workforce Act", legislation designed to create a grant program within the Department of Labor for registered apprenticeships in cybersecurity. He has pressed for the North-South Rail Link, a project aimed at uniting Boston's north and south-side MBTA Commuter Rail lines, and linking the commuter rail to Logan International Airport. He is a proponent of public transportation and frequently rides the commuter rail himself. Moulton supports the expansion of nuclear energy.
In a March 2016 interview with The Boston Globe, Moulton compared the rise of Donald Trump with that of Adolf Hitler's rise to power. He stated that, in order to understand how an educated society could "elect a demagogue," voters should study how the German people elected Hitler.
Moulten has lobbied for greater gun control. He appeared on the front page of the June 15, 2016 edition of the New York Daily News with the statement "No Civilian Should Own This Gun", referring to an issued M4 carbine that he was carrying. Moulton penned an op ed piece promoting gun control, in which he wrote, "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."
Moulton visited a number of early primary states such as Iowa and New Hampshire in March 2019 and said that he would make a formal announcement on his candidacy before April 24. Moulton officially announced his candidacy on April 22, 2019. During an appearance on ABC's Good Morning America shortly after, Moulton said, "I’m not a socialist. I’m a Democrat. And I want to make that clear."