U.S. Rep. Moulton ends bid for president, warns Dems
Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts has dropped out of the presidential race, ending a candidacy that emphasized his centrist politics and military service but gained no traction with Democratic primary voters.
Moulton, 40, said in an interview that he had no immediate plans to endorse another candidate, but he warmly praised former Vice President Joe Biden. Moulton announced the end of his campaign in a formal speech before the Democratic National Committee on Friday.
Moulton suggested that most of the other Democratic hopefuls were also laboring in vain at this point, with only a few — Biden and Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders — remaining as real competitors for the nomination. He warned in the interview that if Democrats were to embrace an overly liberal platform, it could make it harder for the party to defeat President Donald Trump.
“I think it’s evident that this is now a three-way race between Biden, Warren and Sanders, and really it’s a debate about how far left the party should go,” Moulton said.
Moulton said he would run for reelection to the House, representing a coastal district to the north and east of Boston. Several other Democrats filed to run for his seat while Moulton was a presidential hopeful, and he is likely to face a contested primary.
Moulton said he would also relaunch his political action committee, Serve America, to promote issues related to veterans and the military.
With Moulton’s departure, the sprawling Democratic field shrank to 21 candidates.
He is the fourth Democrat to leave the race this summer, following Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and Rep. Eric Swalwell of California.