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He
enters the race as an underdog, with little national name
recognition and a shorter track record than some of his
opponents who have spent years in the U.S. Senate or as state
governors.
But Moulton, 40, has already built a political career driven by
challenging the party's establishment.
"Decades of division and corruption have broken our democracy
and robbed Americans of their voice," he said in the video,
which was released early on Monday.
"While our country marches forward, Washington is anchored in
the past," he said.
Moulton was first elected to Congress in 2014 after mounting a
primary challenge against John Tierney, a fellow Democrat who
had held his seat for 18 years.
After Democrats took control of the U.S. House of
Representatives in 2018, Moulton led an unsuccessful effort to
remove Nancy Pelosi as the party's leader in the chamber.
"Tough conversations make us stronger, not weaker, and we need
to keep having them if we’re going to deliver on the change that
we’ve promised the American people," Moulton said in a statement
announcing the end of his opposition to Pelosi.
In the video, Moulton said he wants to tackle climate change and
grow the U.S. economy by promoting green jobs as well as high
tech and advanced manufacturing jobs.
"I'm running because we have to beat Donald Trump," he said.
Moulton served in the Marines from 2001 to 2008. During his 2014
congressional bid, he became a vocal critic of the Iraq War in
which he served, saying no more troops should be deployed to the
country.
He also has advocated stricter gun laws, saying military-style
weapons should not be owned by civilians.
Moulton supports the legalisation of marijuana and told Boston
public radio station WGBH in 2016 that he had smoked pot while
in college.
He graduated from Harvard University with an undergraduate
degree in physics in 2001 and returned to receive a master's
degree in business and public policy in 2011.
For a graphic of the 2020 presidential candidates, see: https://tmsnrt.rs/2Ff62ZC
(Reporting by Ginger Gibson; additional reporting by Rich McKay;
Editing by Colleen Jenkins, Jonathan Oatis and Kirsten Donovan)
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