Massachusetts Rep. Stephen Lynch goes up against a primary challenger Tuesday who says the incumbent is too old and too moderate for the Boston-area district.
Mr. Lynch, 71, is seeking a 14th term in the House. But first, he must defeat Patrick Roath, 39, in the Democratic primary election.
Once considered a conservative Democrat, Mr. Lynch is the last Democrat in Congress who voted against Obamacare and previously described himself as “pro-life.”
Mr. Roath has attacked Mr. Lynch for his age, arguing it makes him a less effective foe of President Trump.
“Congressman Lynch has been in office for 25 years now,” Mr. Roath says in one ad. “He’s not a bad guy, but he’s not the leader we need right now.”
Mr. Lynch argues that his experience is an asset.
He said voters “need people who’ve been through the wars, who can get things done, that bring a perspective over time,” he told WBUR in August. “You don’t want all brand-new people — like my opponent — who have zero experience in government.”
Mr. Roath, a lawyer and former aide to Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick, is attempting to tap into the energy of his party’s left-wing insurgency.
He is running on a platform that includes abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, cutting off all aid to Israel, and providing “Medicare for All.”
He also criticizes Mr. Lynch’s past splits with Democrats.
Meanwhile, Mr. Lynch has questioned the sincerity of Mr. Roath’s progressivism, hitting him for his career at a corporate law firm.
“I don’t think there could be a greater contrast between two candidates than the work that I do and the work that he’s done for the past 10 years, working for private equity firms,” Mr. Lynch told NBC10 in Boston.
Helping out Mr. Roath’s run is David Hogg, a 26-year-old activist and former Democratic National Committee Vice Chair who has made it his mission to remove aged Democratic incumbents from office.
“Patrick’s running against one of the most conservative Democrats in Congress,” Mr. Hogg said in a video posted Sunday, appearing alongside Mr. Roath.
Mr. Hogg was ousted from his position with the DNC in 2025 over taking sides in primaries.
Mr. Hogg’s PAC, Leaders We Deserve, has spent $470,000 backing Mr. Roath.
Other left-wing groups are also spending in favor of Mr. Roath, such as SF Solidarity PAC and Indivisible Action PAC.
Both PACs have supported socialist candidates in successful primary challenges against Democratic incumbents.
Mr. Roath is not the only Democratic challenger calling for a generational change.
On Tuesday, 47-year-old Massachusetts Rep. Seth Moulton is challenging 80-year-old incumbent Sen. Ed Markey.
In August, 78-year-old Connecticut Rep. John Larson lost in his primary to 47-year-old Luke Bronin, the former Mayor of Hartford.
