Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., is considering entering his party’s growing field of presidential candidates.
“I’m thinking about running for president,” Moulton told BuzzFeed News. “I’m not definitely running, but I’m going to take a very hard look at it. A very serious look at it. Because I believe it’s time for a new generation of leadership, and we gotta send Donald Trump packing.”
Moulton, 40, would be one of the younger side of the Democratic field. The third-term House member gained some following as a persistent critic of now-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi before and after the 2018 midterm elections, which gave Democrats a majority in the chamber. Moulton called for a “new generation of leadership” and tried to organize and intra-party challenge to Pelosi. But a viable alternative failed to materialize.
[Related: Here are the 17 Democrats opposing Nancy Pelosi for House Speaker]
Moulton just visited New Hampshire — a short hop from his North Shore Massachusetts district — a sign that he’s considering a presidential bid. During his trip to the first-in-the-nation primary state, Moulton said the recent intra-Democratic leadership fight never came up.
“We got a lot of things that wouldn’t have happened if we weren’t willing to stand up and say, ‘We’re not just going to rubber-stamp the establishment,'” Moulton said. “So I think it was the right thing to do. I also think Speaker Pelosi is doing a great job right now.”
But the Democrat-on-Democrat clash isn’t forgotten. Moulton pointed to an agreement Pelosi, 78, struck with the House Democratic Caucus that would effectively limit her to two terms maximum, through the 2022 elections, a move aimed at giving younger members a chance to serve in leadership roles.
[Also read: Democratic lawmaker from Salem, Mass.: Mueller investigation isn’t greatest witch hunt in US history]
