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Former Biden administration official Daniel A. Koh ’07 is racing to take the House seat currently held by Representative Seth W. Moulton (D-Mass.) — and his campaign is gaining momentum.
The Harvard College and Harvard Business School graduate launched his campaign in October, adding his name to a crowded list of candidates racing for the District 6 seat. Moulton is currently challenging Senator Ed J. Markey (D-Mass) in the Senate primary.
In an interview with The Crimson, Koh condemned the Trump administration’s attempt to control his alma mater, pushing the University to not “bend the knee.” He added that Harvard’s fight with the administration was taking time away from valuable research and “promoting innovation.”
“I think it’s a disgusting insult to universities and our way of life,” Koh said.
To help defend higher education from federal funding threats, Koh pledged to double down on funding for higher education in his district if he is elected.
Koh previously held several senior roles in the Biden administration, and has received several major endorsements since the start of his campaign. Former United States Vice President Kamala Harris endorsed Koh in October, calling him “the fighter you deserve.”
Koh also previously served as chief of staff for former Boston mayor and U.S. Labor Secretary Martin J. Walsh. He worked as a deputy assistant for former U.S. President Joe Biden, an experience that left him saying that the party has lost its empathy and its direction.
“I think we’ve lost all the empathy in this party. We need to get it back,” Koh said. “I think we’ve lost a lot of focus in this party that we need to get back.”
Former Secretary of Education Miguel A. Cardona, a current fellow at Harvard’s Institute of Politics, also endorsed Koh last week. The two met while Koh worked at the White House.
Beyond the high-profile support, Koh announced in October that he had raised $1 million in his first week of campaigning, including $50,000 of his own funds.
Koh pledged to not accept campaign donations from corporate Political Action Committees in his campaign, saying that “corporate PAC money should be out of politics.” He also applauded publicly financed elections and added that the current system of campaign finance is “incredibly flawed.”
“I believe that the current system where corporate tax are influencing us is fundamentally damaged, and we need to not accept corporate tax money,” Koh said.
But when asked, Koh did not explicitly rule out accepting funding from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee — a pro-Israel PAC — though he added that has not received an endorsement from the organization.
“That process I have not pursued,” he added.
Moulton has rebuked AIPAC in his Senate run, returning donations and refusing to accept any additional funding from the organization. Former state representative Jamie Belsito — running against Koh in the primary — also refused to accept AIPAC funding, any donations from super PACs or corporate PACs, and called for every other candidate in the race to do the same.
Koh lost the 2018 primary against the current 3rd District Representative Lori Trahan (D-Mass.) Despite a packed race of 10 candidates, Trahan and Koh were the two leading rivals. Trahan beat Koh by 145 votes
During his time at Harvard, Koh lived in Winthrop House and served as a liaison in the IOP’s Fellows and Study Groups for former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura, who was an IOP fellow in 2004. Koh was also a member of the a capella group Din and Tonics and the Harvard Glee Club.
But above all, Koh said the most rewarding aspect of his Harvard experience was the connections — citing casual conversations with roommates and late night chats in his common room as the most enlightening moments of his time on campus.
“I think what’s cool about Harvard is that people are not afraid to be nerds.”
—Staff writer Megan L. Blonigen can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on X at @MeganBlonigen.
