The candidate: Veteran Seth Moulton, a Democrat.
The member: Nine-term Rep. John F. Tierney, D-Mass.
The district: Massachusetts’ 6th District, located in the northeast corner of the state, is a reliably Democratic district. But past ethics inquiries into Tierney’s personal finances make him a uniquely vulnerable Democrat. Tierney faces Moulton and Democrat Marisa DeFranco in a Democratic primary. The primary victor will likely face former state Sen. Richard Tisei in the general.
The candidate’s team: Mark Mellman (polling), Dover Strategy Group (mail), Scott Ferson (general consultant), Joe Trippi (senior adviser), Max Glass (campaign manager), Carrie James Rankin (communications director).

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Iraq War veteran Seth Moulton, a Democrat challenging nine-term Rep. John F. Tierney in a Democratic primary in Massachusetts’ 6th District , says he is being strongly encouraged to run by members of his own party.  

“If I had a penny for everyone who’s whispered in my ear to say, ‘We want you to win the primary. We may not be able to publicly support you, but we’d really like you to win this because Congressman Tierney is a liability in this seat,’ my fundraising numbers would be even better than they are,” Moulton said in an interview with CQ Roll Call this month.  

While the Ethics Committee recently closed an investigation into whether Tierney allegedly misreported income from his brother-in-law in a financial disclosure report, Tierney is still vulnerable in this otherwise strong Democratic district .  

Tierney barely won re-election against Republican former state Sen. Richard Tisei in 2012, prevailing by just a 1-point margin, even as President Barack Obama captured the district by 10 points.  

Moulton, a Marine who served in four tours of duty in the Iraq War,  says he’s running because he thinks he will be the better Democrat to face Tisei in his repeat congressional bid.  

“I think what people are realizing is that I’m the stronger Democrat,” Moulton said. “And if we want to hold this seat, it’s very important that I win the primary because I will be a much stronger opponent to Richard Tisei in the general election.”  

Moulton is not the only Democrat in the primary. Attorney Marisa DeFranco is also waging a bid, but her low fundraising raises questions as to whether she will be competitive.  

The primary is Sept. 9, one of the latest in the country.  

Massachusetts’ 6th District is rated a Lean Democrat contest by Rothenberg Political Report/Roll Call.  

This video interview series questions the scores of congressional hopefuls who visit the CQ Roll Call offices each cycle. Responses and questions have been edited and condensed. Have a question for a candidate? Follow us at @RollCallPols to learn about upcoming interviews.
Previous candidate interviews:

• New York’s 1st District: Republican Lee Zeldin
• Senate in Kansas: Republican Milton Wolf
• West Virginia’s 2nd: Republican Alex Mooney
• Georgia’s 1st District: Republican Bob Johnson
• Georgia’s 10th District: Republican Mike Collins
• Senate in Minnesota: Republican Julianne Ortman
• Georgia’s 10th District: Republican Donna Sheldon
• California’s 25th District: Democrat Lee Rogers
• Michigan’s 7th District: Democrat Pam Byrnes
• Nevada’s 3rd District: Democrat Erin Bilbray
• Illinois’ 13th District: Democrat Ann Callis
• Ohio’s 6th District: Democrat Jennifer Garrison
• Michigan’s 1st District: Democrat Jerry Cannon
• Montana’s At-Large District: Democrat John Lewis
• New York’s 23rd District: Democrat Martha Robertson
• Senate in North Carolina: Republican Thom Tillis
• Senate in Alaska: Republican Mead Treadwell
• Senate in South Carolina: Republican Lee Bright
• Senate in Iowa: Republican David Young
• Senate in Kentucky: Republican Matt Bevin
• Illinois’ 12th District: Republican Mike Bost
• Idaho’s 2nd District: Republican Bryan Smith
• Michigan’s 14th District: Democrat Rudy Hobbs 
• California’s 45th District: Republican Mimi Walters 
• Senate in Iowa: Republican Matt Whitaker 
• Senate in Nebraska: Republican Shane Osborn 
• Minnesota’s 6th District: Republican Tom Emmer
• Minnesota’s 6th District: Democrat Jim Graves
• Florida’s 2nd District: Democrat Gwen Graham 
• Pennsylvania’s 13th District: Democrat Daylin Leach