So long Seth as Moulton decides to run for re-election to Congress instead

On the heels of Jay Inslee dropping out, CBS News has breaking news about another candidate leaving the Democratic presidential nomination contest, as it reported just last hour Seth Moulton drops out of presidential race.

Seth Moulton is the third Democratic presidential candidate to drop out of the race in the past week. CBSN political reporter Caitlin Huey-Burns has more on the latest developments.

Honestly, I'm surprised it took him this long, as Moulton did not make either of the first two rounds of debates.  For that matter, the reporters and editors at FiveThirtyEight probably aren't surprised either, as they picked Moulton second in their first 2020 drop out draft.  Three down, six to go.

nrakich [Nathaniel Rakich, elections analyst]: OK, with the second overall pick, I choose Rep. Seth Moulton.

sarahf [Sarah Frostenson, politics editor]: He’s still running?

That remark turned into the preview image for the article, which says something.


The chat continued on from there, becoming more serious, if not any less dismissive of Moulton.

nrakich: Haha, indeed. I’m a bit surprised that he is.

He didn’t even qualify for the first two debates, which every other major candidate without a good excuse (i.e., jumped in the race after the qualifying deadline for the first debate) did.

He’s almost certainly not going to make the September debate.

In addition, he reportedly had to let go of half his campaign staffers, indicating his campaign might be in financial trouble.

Finally, although he can legally run for president and for reelection to his House seat at the same time, it’s not a good look.

sarahf: Yeah, I imagine his calculus has to be pretty similar to Eric Swalwell — a House member who also ran for president, but has since dropped out to focus on his 2020 reelection bid.

geoffrey.skelley [Geoffrey Skelley, elections analyst]: All this makes sense to me, though I wonder if Moulton might hang around awhile longer. After all, the candidate filing deadline for Massachusetts isn’t until May 2020, whereas Swalwell had a December 2019 deadline to worry about if he was going to seek reelection.

nrakich: I hear that, Geoffrey, but Moulton is also already attracting primary challengers in the Massachusetts 6th District.

And he was already catching flak back home after he led a failed attempt to deprive Nancy Pelosi of the speakership after Democrats took back the House in 2018.

So I think he’d be smart to focus on his House primary, which I think he could be in real danger of losing.

geoffrey.skelley: But when does he drop out?

nrakich: Yeah, the one thing that gives me pause is the fact that he hasn’t already.

But I would say soon — particularly if he is indeed running out of money.

geoffrey.skelley: Yeah, hard to get people to work for you if you can’t give them a paycheck.

Indeed, which is one of the reasons why I thought John Hickenlooper would leave the presidential contest.  Besides, both of them are better off, both for themselves and the country, running for Congress.

On another note, Talking Points Memo summarized the New York Times article about Moulton dropping out as Moulton Drops Presidential Bid With Warning, Regret.

In an interview with the New York Times, he said that the race is truly between former Vice President Joe Biden and Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and warned that “veering too far left” could cost Democrats the White House.

He cited Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, another moderate who also struggled to make the debate stage, as evidence that the primary was pulling candidates further and further left.

Moulton himself serves as an example of the primary campaign pulling candidates to the left, as his ideological scores started off at 20 economic and 85 social in June, moved to 13 economic and 80 social in July, and dropped out at 8 economic and 83 social now.  He shifted left 12 points economically and 3 socially over the space of two months!  Even Moulton, who says doing so is a bad idea, couldn't resist the leftward pull!

I'll have more to say about candidates being pulled to the left later today.  Right now, follow over the jump for the drinks and memes I'm retiring now that Moulton is out of the contest.

First, the drink suggestions from Drinks for the candidates who didn't make the debates.

Unlike all of the rest of the candidates I'm writing about today, Eater quotes Seth Moulton on his favorite comfort food: "I mean, you can’t beat a burger for a quick classic American meal."  Unfortunately, that's not very helpful.  However, the Salem News article about his wedding reception is.

The wedding couple made the wedding a decidedly North Shore one, offering an assortment of food and beverages from their favorite local restaurants and breweries.

That includes beer from a brewery that Moulton's team helped get started: Bent Water Brewing in Lynn, which was started by two brothers from Marblehead, according to a list displayed at the wedding about what these places mean to the newlyweds.

Other "favorite things" included brew from Notch Brewing in Salem. There were also items from their much frequented Shubies market in downtown Marblehead; The Blue Ox restaurant in Lynn; Firenze Trattoria restaurant in Salem, and Opus, also in Salem, where the couple went on their first date.

Well, it looks like the lucky couple knows how to throw a party.  If one lives in Massachusetts, one can certainly drink the beers named in the article.  Otherwise, I will be a good environmentalist and recycle my suggestion for Elizabeth Warren, who is also from the Bay State.


The alternative would be Spoon University's unofficial cocktail for Massachusetts, the Cape Codder.

With Ocean Spray cranberry juice headquartered in Massachusetts, their signature cocktail MUST feature this yummy drink. What’s better than a basic as f*ck vodka cranberry? Add a lime and call it a Cape Codder.

Next, a meme that is now double retired, as it features Inslee.


Beto O'Rourke will have to find new company in his next meme.

Now Moulton's meme showing his ideological position from Voteview.


Finally, Moulton and Marianne Williamson, another meme I would have to retire just because the two of them have diverged socially at On The Issues.


Williamson will also have to find new company in the next meme.

One last time, so long Seth!