Just three days after U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton threw his hat into the presidential ring, the number of Democrats lining up to take his place in Congress is growing.
The latest is Salem Mayor Kimberley Driscoll. The 52-year-old chief executive told The Item Wednesday she’s interested.
“If the seat were to become open, it’s fair to say it’s something I would take a hard look at,” she said.
Driscoll served two terms on the Salem City Council before being elected Salem mayor in 2005. Prior to taking the corner office, she was the deputy city manager in Chelsea.
“Washington, D.C. could benefit from having more local perspectives represented,” she said. “As mayor, I have direct accountability to the people I serve. I’d certainly be interested in how I can lend a positive direction at a higher level in Washington.”
While a Moulton spokesman said the 6th District congressman will seek reelection if he fails in his bid for the presidency, critics wonder if he’s ready to quit after his embarrassing failure to oust House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Former state Sen. Barbara L’Italien was already considering a run for the seat before Moulton set his sights on 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. The Andover Democrat forfeited her spot in the Legislature to seek the congressional office vacated by U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas last year. She finished third behind winner Lori Trahan.
“Seth is vulnerable because of the stupidity he engaged in over the Nancy Pelosi fight,” L’Italien told The Item in February. “You don’t go to such lengths to challenge leadership when you don’t even have a candidate, and that has set his standing back in Congress.”
State Rep. Lori Ehrlich (D-Marblehead) told The Boston Globe that Moulton’s national ambitions are a reason she is considering a run whether Moulton seeks reelection or not.
“I have been hearing from a lot of people in the region who said they want full-time representation in Congress,” she said. “I know from my own experiences how crucial it is to have dedicated leadership.”
Jamie Zahlaway Belsito, a former volunteer on Republican Richard Tisei’s campaign for Congress in 2014 against Seth Moulton, told CommonWealth Magazine she’s taking her own shot at the North Shore congressman as a Democrat.
“As the national conversation became centered on hatred and division, I proudly and purposefully became a registered Democrat,” Belsito told the magazine.
