In an interview on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on August 23, 2026, Representative Seth Moulton, a Massachusetts Democrat and Senate primary candidate, defended his campaign to unseat incumbent Senator Ed Markey while calling for broad generational change within the Democratic Party. Moulton also leveled sharp criticisms against the Trump administration's immigration policies regarding Afghan allies.
Speaking from Salem, Massachusetts, Moulton addressed the challenges of running against Markey, who has secured high-profile progressive endorsements from Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Host Margaret Brennan pointed out that the last time a young challenger attempted to take Markey’s Senate seat, the incumbent won. However, Moulton argued that political dynamics have shifted, pointing to a recent endorsement from the Boston Globe. He emphasized that the newspaper chose to back his candidacy this time, representing a significant change from six years ago when they endorsed Markey. According to Moulton, the Globe's endorsement declared that "the future is now."
Moulton argued that the world has moved past Markey's approach, noting that his opponent is running the same campaign strategy he used in 2020. He pointed to a recent debate held earlier in the week as evidence of a generational gap. During the debate, Markey explained to Massachusetts voters that he does not understand the different applications on his phone and does not know which ones utilize artificial intelligence. Moulton criticized Markey's subsequent attempt to clarify his comments, in which the senator compared AI to an automobile and suggested regulating it in the same manner as seatbelts. Moulton asserted that this is not a personal issue with Markey, with whom he agrees on most policy matters, but rather a question of whether a Senate seat should belong to one person for half a century while the world progresses. Markey has served in Washington for 50 years.
Brennan noted that Moulton's focus on generational change is a long-standing theme in his political career. She highlighted his previous attempts to challenge established party leadership, including his efforts to oust Nancy Pelosi from Democratic leadership in 2016 and 2018, his presidential campaign in 2019, and his position as the third member of Congress to call for Joe Biden to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race. Moulton embraced this history, stating that challenging party leadership is authentic to his career.
As part of his critique of the current party establishment, Moulton accused Markey of taking $62,000 from a Senate victory fund controlled by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. Moulton argued that these funds, raised by Democrats nationwide to help flip competitive Senate seats from red to blue in states like Maine, Ohio, and Alaska, were instead diverted to bail out Markey's own primary campaign. Moulton framed this as a critical moment where challenging party leadership is desperately needed.
The conversation also turned to the fifth anniversary of the Abbey Gate attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, which resulted in the deaths of 13 U.S. service members and 170 Afghans during the chaotic 2021 military withdrawal. Moulton, who was highly critical of how President Biden managed the withdrawal at the time, addressed the current administration's policies. Under the current Trump administration, Afghan nationals have been banned from entering the United States.
Moulton described the Trump administration's policies as essentially racist, claiming they aim to block non-white individuals from entering the country and have ground the Afghan immigration program to a halt. In response to these policies, Moulton stated that his office is working daily behind the scenes with veterans across the country to assist Afghans seeking safety. He noted that his office's extensive experience with these cases has allowed them to directly rescue dozens of individuals.
To resolve the issue, Moulton emphasized the need to fight for policy changes, reform the immigration system, and support allies who risked their lives alongside American troops. He also stressed the importance of securing Democratic majorities in the House and Senate. Moulton contrasted his national efforts with Markey's, stating that while Markey is taking resources from the Democratic Victory Fund, he has raised millions of dollars through his "Serve America" organization to support Democratic candidates nationwide. Moulton noted that Serve America has already helped flip 24 congressional seats from red to blue and must continue that work to win majorities.
The primary election between Moulton and Markey will take place on September 1.
