Roll Call: Moulton Wants to Change Status Quo by Electing More Vets

Rep. Seth Moulton hopes to make two dozen or so endorsements of military veterans challenging Republican House members this cycle.

The Massachusetts Democrat, himself a former Marine who served in Iraq, announced Wednesday he was backing Democratic military vets running for Congress in Minnesota, Kentucky, and West Virginia, joining the eight other endorsements he’s made so far this year.

“There are so many who want to run that we’re aiming to endorse about two dozen veteran candidates across the country by the election in 2018,” he said in an interview on Boston Herald Radio in July, emphasizing the trust that military service inspires in voters.

“The status quo isn’t working,” Moulton said in a statement Wednesday. “We’re not going to fix the problems facing Americans today without a fresh perspective and a new approach in Washington.”

His three newest endorsees include: Dan Feehan in Minnesota’s 1st District, Aaron Scheinberg in West Virginia’s 2nd District, and Amy McGrath in Kentucky’s 6th District. Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates the Minnesota race a Toss-Up, while the other two are Solid Republican.

His earlier veteran endorsements went to Dan McCready in North Carolina’s 9th District, Mikie Sherrill in New Jersey’s 11th District, Roger Dean Huffstetler in Virginia’s 5th District, Joseph Kopser in Texas’ 21st District, Patrick Ryan in New York’s 19th District, Ken Harbaugh in Ohio’s 7th District, Josh Butner in California’s 50th District and Jason Crow in Colorado’s 6th District.

[Obama Vet Joins Push for Public Servants in Congress]

Moulton was first elected in 2014, with the support of New Politics, a group which recruits people with public service experience to run for office.

In June, he was one of several Democrats who renewed calls for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to step down to make way for new leadership in the wake of special election defeats this year. He and Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan, who ran against Pelosi for the leadership position in November, have moved up into leadership roles of their own this Congress, positioning them for future prominent roles in the party.