Select Board Vice Chair Doug Thompson announced his endorsement of Dan Koh in the Massachusetts 6th Congressional District primary.
“Here in Swampscott, I work to balance the needs of all our community members to ensure our entire town thrives. Right now, our region needs a fighter who can defend our democracy from President Trump’s disastrous policies while also fighting for families and sweating the small stuff,” Thompson said. “Dan Koh is a former Select Board Member who knows that all issues are local issues. I’m proud to endorse Dan’s run for Congress. He’s tuned into the local issues and has the experience necessary to propel our district forward.”
The 6th District’s congressional seat is up for grabs after Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) announced he would challenge Sen. Edward Markey in the Democratic primary ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. There are seven Democrats – Bethany Andres-Beck, John Beccia, Jamie Belsito, Rick Jakious, Dan Koh, Mariah Lancaster and Tram Nguyen – along with Republican Micah Jones. Koh became the first candidate to make it onto the 6th Congressional District primary ballot, after collecting over 2,000 certified signatures.
“As a former Select Board member, I know the grit and passion necessary to being a successful local elected official,” Koh said. “The Vice Chair knows how to provide for Swampscott residents and ensure his community thrives. In order to fight MAGA, we need to stand up and work together at all levels of government to prove quality public service can and does still exist.”
Koh is a former Andover Select Board member and Biden White House aide. He served as deputy cabinet secretary, overseeing communications, policy and logistics between the White House, Cabinet and federal agencies. Koh previously served as chief of staff at the U.S. Department of Labor and chief operating officer of the software platform HqO.
Koh’s campaign has received over 60 endorsements from local and national leaders, union locals, former Vice President Kamala Harris and former Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
He has also raised over $2 million in his first fundraising quarter, a record for a Massachusetts House candidate. His campaign reported more than 3,000 contributions.
Individual contributions account for $1,918,185.10, and he has received $19,600 from a committee and $66,578.73 from candidate contributions, according to the Federal Election Commission reports. $1,000 is from a loan made by Koh, and $31.28 is attributed to other receipts.
Koh has spoken at two Democratic candidate debates at this point, noting the need to stand up now.
“We can sit back and roll over while this president starts another forever war, sends a mask down the streets to arrest our neighbors and kill American citizens, and drive us up for ridiculous tariffs, or we can fight back for the country we know and love,” Koh said in Billerica. “I have German, Irish, Italian, Lebanese, Korean, American kids, and I want them to grow up in a country I think all of you do – a country that’s proud of its diversity, that welcomes their neighbors and respects each other against what this president is trying to do in bias.”
Koh discussed how people have been convinced that it “is not a human right and that somehow copays or extra bills are normal and okay.” He spoke on President Donald Trump’s “attack” on Social Security and Medicare, and Koh called the attack on Iran a distraction from the Epstein files and that “this president is literally hijacking our foreign policy to distract from his own personal scandal and it’s disgusting.”
Koh said in Ipswich that the country’s democracy is at stake and that this is a very scary time.
“Every single day the news gets more and more horrifying,” Koh said. “The question is, at this inflection point, who you elect and what experiences does that person have to be ready on day one to fight for the right things and to stand up to this president while also standing up for the most vulnerable communities in this district.”
