‘We need new leaders’: Moulton launches TV ad targeting Markey, but not by name, in Senate primary bid

US Representative Seth Moulton is hitting the airwaves for the first time in his primary bid against Senator Ed Markey, rolling out a seven-figure television ad campaign that leans heavily into the argument Democrats need a new generation of leaders, albeit without mentioning Markey by name.

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The spot, dubbed “Gung Ho,” leans into the 47-year-old Moulton’s relative youth, showcasing his family, his military background, and, at one point Moulton preparing for a jog in downtown Newburyport amid his campaign to unseat Markey, 79.

“In the Marines, they call it ‘gung ho,’” Moulton intones over a clip of him chasing his two daughters around his house. “I call it being a dad.”

The 30-second spot flashed through a rapid-fire montage of Moulton’s life on and off the campaign trail, showing him at a tea party with his daughters and sparring with Sean Hannity on Fox News.

And while Markey doesn’t get a mention, another veteran Democrat does: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

“If we want progressive change, we need new leaders,” Moulton says in the roughly 30-second spot. “So no more Chuck Schumer. Let’s fight harder against the racist Trump agenda.”

Moulton has repeatedly said he would not support Schumer for Senate leader, one of the earliest contrasts he sought to highlight between himself and Markey. Markey, meanwhile, recently signaled some openness to a leadership shakeup, saying in a WBZ interview that aired Sunday that he would be open to a discussion about changes at the top of the Senate Democratic caucus, but not going so far as to directly call for Schumer to step aside.

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Moulton’s campaign said it’s putting at least $1 million behind the ad, makingMoulton the first candidate to go up on air in a primary that is expected to test voters’ appetite for generational change.

It’s not the first time Markey has faced a challenge from a younger opponent. Six years ago, he fended off a stiff challenge from then-Representative Joe Kennedy III in their Democratic primary.

This year’s contest got off to a sleepier start than the 2020 clash, but there are signs it’s starting to intensify.

Moulton and Markey challenged each other earlier this month to release their personal financial and medical information, and Moulton faced-off in a debate with likely GOP nominee John Deaton last week where both criticized the incumbent for opting not to attend.

Moulton and Markey are currently slated to face each other in a pair of August debates.

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