Our One Hundredth is an occasional series on Massachusetts’s US Senate Elections.

Does Seth fit in in the 413? (created with wikipdia and campaign images)

LONGMEADOW—Only standing astride the Commonwealth can one hope to win it.

That calculus has guided many statewide candidates and Seth Moulton, the congressman challenging Senator Ed Markey for the Democratic primary, has taken this to heart, too. He boasts of dozens of stops across the Commonwealth, including many in the 413.

It mirrors a strategy then-Congressman Joe Kennedy, III, attempted in his bid to dethrone Markey in 2020. Kennedy lost and he did not make nearly as deep of inroads in Western Mass as he had hoped. Yet, there were receptive audiences here, well not Longmeadow specifically, but across Hampden County for sure.

“One of the things I hear in many parts of Massachusetts, but especially Western Massachusetts, they don’t see the senators,” Moulton said. “I want to be a Senator who doesn’t just do a good job in Washington, but represents people here well in Massachusetts.”

It’s a pitch that Markey vigorously contests but one that will define this primary to a point.

There are vague similarities between the Markey-Moulton primary this year, the challenge to Markey in 2020. Markey is still the legislative workhorse candidate who has not imprinted on the electorate quite as deeply as Elizabeth Warren or past senators like John Kerry and Edward Kennedy. Moulton lacks the star power and mythos Joe Kennedy had, but he has other resources. In 2020, Markey prevailed, in part, by reinventing himself as a scrappy, progressive hero.

Like Kennedy, Moulton, 47, is making a generational argument. Kennedy only gently leaned into age. Moulton is not subtle about it. It is easy to see why, though. While there is more nuance than most Democrats consider, it was a mistake for Joe Biden to seek reelection while pushing 82.

Markey will be 80 by Election Day. Senators are not executives, but other Democratic legislators have been nudged out of reelection. The senator has resisted this by citing his record and summoning the fire on the trail.

There are doubts about Markey among is supporters. Yet, those have easily fallen away given Moulton’s comments on trans athletes after the 2024 election. (Moulton has consistently voted against the flood of transphobic legislation the GOP has put up this Congress.)

A generational pitch will only go so far in Massachusetts. Tapping into regional inequities is a tried-and-true means of building a state campaign.

Moulton’s campaign did not provide a comprehensive list of stops in the 413. However, the weekend he spoke to WMP&I he stopped here in Longmeadow as well as Springfield, the Berkshires and Franklin County. His Springfield stops included an event at Nathan Bill’s Bar & Grill and a community cleanup.

“I think it’s important to listen to voters and take their questions, and that’s something that I’ve been doing throughout this campaign,” Moulton said, during an interview at the Longmeadow Starbucks.

“It’s important for two simple reasons,” he continued. “One, people need to be heard. People are hurting. They’ve got tough questions, and they deserve answers. And two, I need to listen to the people that I want to represent, because you can’t represent people effectively in Washington.”

Markey, pictured at Springfield City Hall in 2021, has forcefully pushed back on suggestions of his absence. (WMP&I)

The Markey camp rejects any suggestion that he has been absent. His campaign pointed to his work with businesses hit by Donald Trump’s tariffs and getting funding for projects in Easthampton, Monson and Springfield.

“At a time when Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans are trying to claw back funding from Western Mass, Senator Markey is fighting back every day – because he knows these federal investments mean clean drinking water, cleaner air, lower utility costs through clean and renewable energy, stronger public schools, modern equipment and renovated facilities for first responders, better libraries, and good-paying jobs for Western Mass families,” Jonathan Ng, a Markey spokesperson, said in a statement.

Moulton says the economy and healthcare feature prominently in his discussion with Western Mass residents. He observed the continued decline of manufacturing suggests better integration into the statewide economy could help.

An advocate of expanded rail, he backs East-West rail—although he thinks much faster speeds are necessary.

“It’s literally slower than trains went in 1950 and it’s completely behind the rest of the world,” he said. “So I think you should be able to get from Springfield to Boston in less than an hour, from Worcester to Boston in less than 30 minutes, and that would be transformative for the economy out here.”

That type of change is not likely anytime in the foreseeable future. The current two-roundtrip service planned for decades end would not move at those speeds.

Rather, Moulton appears to be proposing something much more comparable to the TGV in France or Shinkansen in Japan. Both moved forward with heavy state investment. However, Moulton also cited involvement of the private sector as is the case with Brightline in Florida. While popular, Brightline’s financial viability faces questions.

Moulton’s for East-West rail, but should a different train be pulling out of the station? (WMP&I)

What Moulton makes clear, however, is that he believes a different approach is necessary. He called Markey’s All Aboard Act, which would spend $200 billion over five years on rail, including high-speed services, “very old-fashioned,,”

“He wants to expand rail to bring it back to where it was in the 1920s,” Moulton said of Markey’s bill. I want to expand rail to bring it to where the rest of the world is in 2030.”

Ng, the Markey campaign spokesperson, noted the $150 million Markey and the federal delegation has secured for East-West rail. The campaign also defended the All Aboard Act as a means to reduce pollution, create jobs and “turbocharge” rail between Boston and Western Mass.

“For Senator Markey, East-West Rail is about making sure the 413 is connected to more opportunities – faster and affordable travel, creating union jobs, expanded housing opportunities, lower congestion, stronger local economies, and a more connected Commonwealth,” Ng said.

On healthcare, Moulton reported that residents of the 413 have shared concerns about costs and access. Republicans’ looming Medicaid cuts only add to the anxiety. In particular, he cited the reduction in mental health services, at a time, he said, the demand has become acute.

While these problems are not unique to Western Massachusetts, they are more acute since the region has a weaker economy relative to the state’s. Moulton argues he understands this dynamic having represented Gateway Cities such as Lynn. As proof, he pointed to infusions of federal money he has pursued and partnerships on all levels of government that have helped Lynn.

This also became another way Moulton argued the region was not getting what it needed out of the upper house of Congress.

A regional commitment begins with a single hat? Moulton at is Nathan Bill’s event in April. (via Facebook/Moulton campaign)

“You can’t have functioning partnerships with the federal government if your federal officials are never here,” Moulton said. “Now, I know [Congressman] Richie Neal is around a lot, but we need a presence from our senator, from our Senate delegation as well.”

Presence is political currency in Western Massachusetts. It is also not necessarily something that number of visits can establish, especially if no media covers it. Neal’s opponents this cycle and over the years have disputed his presence. Yet at least in Greater Springfield he can seem present whether plugging local projects or mowing his lawn.

Neither Markey nor Moulton are from or of the 413. Therefore, Markey must prove his attentiveness bona fides to yield votes. Moulton has, arguably, a simpler challenge because he can make promises to do better. However, he must explain how he will do better how Markey’s work has been insufficient.

It will not be an easy task. Whether Markey did, in fact, neglect the Massachusetts Occident before the 2020 election is subjective. However, after winning he did increase his activity here, with prominent appearances to oppose biomass and at local community events. It has won him endorsements that former Congressman Kennedy won easily six years ago.

Still, it remains an attractive way for Moulton to mine votes. The region has so many needs and there is always room for improvement. It even meshes with a familiar critique of incumbents of any age.

“I think one of the frustrations that people have with the political establishment is they’ve had a long time to fix these problems, the cost of housing, the cost the problem that the cost of health care, the problems with our transportation system,” he said.

After taking a dig at Markey for being in office longer he had been alive—when counting Markey’s House service, Moulton concluded, “So what’s the hold up here? Let’s get some stuff done.”