Copyright The Boston Globe
John Beccia, a Lynnfield native with a successful career in the burgeoning financial technology sector, is the latest Democrat to launch a campaign for the 6th Congressional District seat being vacated by Representative Seth Moulton. Beccia, who formally entered the race on Tuesday, pitched himself as an outsider in an interview with the Globe. “We all care about the same things when we wake up in the morning,” he said, emphasizing cost of living, health care, and education. “We need as Democrats to really come to the table with a lot of ideas, and I think that’s where my background is helpful, in terms of having built things in the private sector, having a different perspective, and to be able to come in with some solutions,” he said. Beccia, 55, joins a primary field that quickly took shape after Moulton’s announcement last week he would challenge Senator Ed Markey in 2026. Former President Biden and Marty Walsh aide Daniel Koh, who ran for the neighboring 3rd District in 2018, is officially running; on Monday, Koh said his campaign had raised over $800,000 in its first 24 hours. Also in the field are former state representative Jamie Belsito of Topsfield, who unsuccessfully challenged Moulton in 2020, and software engineer Bethany Andres-Beck, who launched a primary campaign against Moulton earlier this year. Advertisement More candidates are expected to join the primary contest, which will likely determine the next representative of this solidly Democratic district. Others believed to be considering running are Lynn Mayor Jared Nicholson, Moulton’s chief of staff Rick Jakious, and state Representative Tram Nguyen. A lawyer by training who grew up in Milford, Beccia is chair of FS Vector, a strategic consulting firm he co-founded, and an adjunct professor at Boston University Law School. He was one of the first employees at Circle, the payments technology company founded in Boston that now has a lucrative cryptocurrency business. It raised over $1 billion when it was taken public last year; Beccia says he remains a shareholder in the company. The crypto industry, now one of the most powerful special interests in politics, spent a total of $130 million on elections nationwide in the last election cycle. Their influence has proven particularly effective in open Democratic congressional primaries, where they have spent heavily to ensure friendly lawmakers are elected. Advertisement Asked about crypto influence in politics, and potentially in the 6th District race, Beccia said “I’m not focused on the special interest groups” and wants to build his own grassroots donor base. But he praised the crypto industry, noting “excitement around some of the things that can benefit people and create jobs.” Already, candidates are positioning themselves as aggressive fighters against President Trump’s agenda who will push for stronger resistance from House Democratic leadership if elected — like Koh, who argued in his launch video that Washington Democrats “just aren’t getting it done.” Beccia, who has never before run for office, said he is “worried about the damage the Trump administration is doing to democracy right now” but believes “we really need to start working together and get away from all the polarizing politics.” Sam Brodey can be reached at sam.brodey@globe.com. Follow him @sambrodey.
