Dan Koh polling in 3rd Congressional District

Daniel Koh is polling in the 3rd Congressional District, further testing the waters for a potential rematch against U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan, a source close to Koh confirmed to the Herald.

Koh, now an Andover selectman, narrowly lost the race for the congressional seat to Westford’s Trahan last year — coming up just 145 votes short after a recount.

Koh is zeroing in on campaign finance issues that have dogged Trahan. The representative is facing complaints from watchdogs over the $371,000 she reportedly loaned her campaign, including a significant infusion in the two weeks before the September primary.

But University of Massachusetts Lowell political science professor John Cluverius said he doesn’t believe the campaign finance issues are a significant problem for Trahan, adding Trahan could counter with questions “about the substantial amount of out-of-district Boston developer money that Koh ran with.”

Koh could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

In the current election cycle, Koh began taking aim at Trahan by pushing her to support impeachment proceedings against President Trump, criticizing her on Twitter in early July and following it up with an op-ed in the Lowell Sun the day of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s testimony before Congress. Trahan announced her support for impeachment proceedings later that day, pinning her decision on Mueller’s testimony.

Still, a rematch between the two top vote-getters in last year’s 10-way primary could be an uphill battle for Koh.

Though an Andover politician now, Koh remains largely known for being chief of staff to Mayor Martin Walsh. He remains without a built-in base in the 3rd District, casting him as the outsider against not just an incumbent, but a native of Lowell, the district’s longtime seat of power.

Koh is seen as more progressive than Trahan, but running an insurgent-style campaign along the lines of U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley’s defeat of incumbent Michael Capuano could also be problematic. Unlike Pressley, Koh would be trying to unseat a woman at a time when Democrats are pushing for more women in Congress.

And while Koh could make gains in a majority-minority community such as Lawrence — where Trahan has worked to make inroads after underperforming in the primary — swaths of the 3rd District that stretches from Haverhill to Maynard remain more moderate than Pressley’s urban 7th District.

“He’s going to have to establish a clear reason as to why people should get rid of Lori Trahan,” Cluverius said.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2n9A62A