Each time he’s tried to climb the political ladder beyond his seat in the House of Representatives, Rep. Seth Moulton has pitched himself as someone who can usher in the Democratic Party’s next generation.
And each time — including in Tuesday’s Massachusetts Senate Democratic primary, in which voters picked Sen. Ed Markey over Moulton — voters have rejected him.
Moulton, who arrived in Congress by beating a nine-term incumbent, was once part of a rising class of young(ish) Democrats styling themselves as the next generation leaders of their party. He was part of a failed effort in 2018 to oust Nancy Pelosi as the top Democrat in the House Democratic Caucus, arguing that “Our party is changing, our country is changing and our leadership should change, too.” His bid for president in 2020 — which kicked off with, “The greatest generation saved our country from tyranny. It’s time for our generation to step up and do the same” — fell short.
In his campaign against Markey, Moulton declared, “I’m running against the senator’s decision, after 50 years in Washington, to run for another term at age 80.”
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Now, Moulton’s failed Senate bid in one of the last major Democratic Party showdowns of the cycle is a warning to the party as Democrats begin to assemble for what’s expected to be a messy 2028 presidential race. The lesson from his collection of unsuccessful campaigns, other Democrats say, is that it’s not enough to just position yourself as the poster child of a new generation of leadership — winning candidates need to have something actually new to say.
“The moment that we’re in right now isn’t just about electing young people, but it’s about electing people who have new and big ideas,” said Rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida, the youngest member of Congress at age 29 and a rising star in the party.
In some ways, the Moulton-Markey primary in a state as blue as Massachusetts turned the party’s biggest intraparty feuds on their head. The younger candidate in this primary was more moderate than the older incumbent. Even during an insurgent wave that has led to at least seven other Democratic incumbents losing their seats, the 80-year-old Markey won reelection in part because of his progressive bona fides — despite a gaffe during a debate that showed his spotty understanding of AI platforms.
Moulton, whose campaign didn’t respond to a request for comment, fell short of convincing voters, but he also couldn’t convince much of the party to back him: Markey gained momentum in the final weeks of the campaign as he notched endorsements from Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren and longtime ally Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Sanders, a kingmaker for the left wing who has his own track record of running competitive if ultimately unsuccessful presidential campaigns, was frequently named in interviews as an example of someone older being able to energize the party.
“This is the same reason that Bernie keeps winning reelection, even though he’s a little bit older,” said Charles Hughes, chair of the College Democrats of Massachusetts, which endorsed Markey. “As long as the candidate shows that they’re capable of fighting for those progressive causes and fighting for the issues that young people care about, I think age is a secondary factor.”
These generational questions are already following Democrats into the 2028 presidential race. Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia, 39, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, 44, Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, both 53, are all considered to be among the youngest possible contenders.
“These candidates who run on change will have to prove that they actually are making change in order to do that, not just showing that they are a younger face necessarily,” said David Hogg, founder of Leaders We Deserve, which works to elect young Democrats.
Moulton’s loss reflects how the party has evolved since former President Joe Biden’s aborted reelection campaign. Youth is still important for young Democrats, but they say they want more than just a number.
“Age to me isn’t really the big thing,” said Melat Kiros, a 29-year-old lawyer who beat Rep. Diana DeGette, 69, in Colorado’s 1st District this summer. “It’s about, does your platform actually speak to what this new generation of politics is demanding?”
Even if Moulton wasn’t successful at running as a change agent, there are Democrats who think there’s a case to be made for candidates trying to run on changing the status quo, regardless of their age or how many times they’ve tried it.
“The system is still very stale, and so even a guy like Seth is still a younger candidate in relation to what people see in Chuck Schumer, for example,” said Tim Ryan, a former lawmaker from Ohio who unsuccessfully ran against Pelosi in 2016 for House minority leader.
“People want a new set of eyeballs on the problem,” he went on.
Moulton on Tuesday signaled he planned on continuing to play a similar role in the future.
“Challenging the establishment and calling for a new generation of leadership isn’t easy, but it is necessary,” he said in a statement after the race was called. “I will continue to push the Democratic Party – and our country – to look towards the future.”
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Editor’s Note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.
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