Moulton Turns Up Heat, Singles Out Tierney in Latest TV Ad

Seth Moulton, the Democrat who is seeking a seat in Congress, has gone on the offensive in his latest television ad criticizing incumbent John Tierney.

Tierney, of Salem, has represented the Sixth District for 18 years. Moulton is an Iraq war veteran from Marblehead.

It is the second TV spot released by Moulton in the past week, but the latest ad takes a decidedly more aggressive tone in pointing out what Moulton sees in the incumbent, who this summer received the backing of the Democratic Town Committee in Moulton’s hometown.

The first 21 seconds of the 30 second ad is dominated by a black screen with white font, with a voice asking voters why they would reelect Tierney, who Moulton says has had only one of his bills passed, has missed more votes than most other members of Congress and was fined for illegal campaign activities.

Moulton then appears on screen, suggesting he is “new” and ”different” and that Tierney would be “reelecting more of the same.”

During a candidate forum last week at Beverly High School, Tierney cited legislation he has supported over the years, according to a report by the Salem News, also pointing out his efforts to help working families and make college more affordable.

Tierney has not aired any television ads in advance of the Sept. 9 primary, which will also include Democrats Marisa DeFranco and John Devine.

The new ad makes no mention of Tierney’s wife’s legal problems, where Patrice Tierney served 30 days in jail in 2011 after pleading guilty to helping her brother Robert Eremian funnel money from an illegal gambling operation into a Massachusetts bank account and then filing false tax returns on that money. That has been an issue for Tierney’s two Republican challengers - Bill Hudak and Richard Tisei - during Tierney’s past two successful campaigns for reelection. Moulton told the Boston Herald earlier this month he won’t bring up the issue in his campaign.

Tisei is again running for the Sixth District seat in 2014.

The race in the Sixth District, which includes most of the North Shore, including Lynn, Peabody, Newburyport, Gloucester, Salem and Beverly, is one of only three contested races for the September primary out of nine districts statewide.