Globe endorses Tierney primary challenger

The Boston Globe is endorsing Rep. John Tierney’s (D-Mass.) primary challenger Seth Moulton ahead of the Sept. 9 Democratic contest. 

{mosads}Moulton, a Marine Corps veteran who served four tours in Iraq — first as platoon leader and then as an aide to Gen. David Petraeus — is running against Tierney in the primary.

The more conservative Boston Herald backed Moulton last week. He was also the recipient of the first political endorsement by retired Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal.

In their endorsement, the Globe‘s editorial board writes that, while Moulton and Tierney “share nearly identical political views … Moulton’s background, and his approach to discussing the issues, suggests an openness to new perspectives.”

The paper notes that his work in Iraq “negotiating with warlords, developing on-the-ground relationships in tense circumstances — might bode well for his ability to deal with recalcitrant Republicans, and to broker agreements between the two parties.”

The newspaper also lauds Moulton’s private sector background, when he served as a managing director of Texas Central Railway, a company building a high-speed rail line between Dallas and Houston.

Tierney is one of the GOP’s top targets this fall. If he wins the primary, he would likely face a general election rematch against Republican Richard Tisei.

The newspaper does, however, take Moulton to task for claiming Tierney only passed one bill in nearly 18 years in office, saying “that’s not a full representation of the way things work in Congress, where behind-the-scenes negotiations can yield results” and commends the incumbent for his effort to keep student loans affordable.

They write, though, that “there is something problematic about Tierney’s full-throated partisan stances and his staunch defense of Congress’s business as usual. Returning him to Washington would do little to change a system that is widely seen as gridlocked and broken.” 

It also points out that Moulton isn’t exactly an “outsider,” given his ties to the U.S. military and financial sector, but he is a bit a of “blank slate” and “represents a relatively rare opportunity for Massachusetts to send a newcomer to Congress with high hopes. It’s a chance the voters should take.”