A recent pre-primary debate in Massachusetts saw Democratic U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton and Republican trial attorney John Deaton present their platforms to voters as they aim to challenge incumbent Democratic Sen. Ed Markey in the November election. Senator Markey did not attend the June 16 event but has committed to two debates with Moulton in August, leading up to the Massachusetts primary on September 1.
Both Moulton and Deaton are U.S. Marine Corps veterans. Moulton, a captain, completed four tours in Iraq, while Deaton served domestically as an officer and judge advocate. Moulton has served in Congress since 2014. Deaton, who has not previously held public office, ran unsuccessfully against Democratic U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren in the 2024 general election.
Although absent, Senator Markey, who is 79 and has been in elected office for over five decades, was a focal point of the debate, with the first question addressing his tenure. Both Moulton, 47, and Deaton commented on Markey’s age, with Moulton suggesting it was "time for a new generation of leadership."
The discussion largely revolved around immigration, energy policy, and former President Donald Trump’s initiatives. Here’s a look at some of the claims made during the debate:
John Deaton on Seth Moulton and ICE: Deaton stated, "Moulton thanked ICE in 2025 but now he wants to abolish them." This statement requires additional context. Moulton did vote for a 2025 resolution that included a sentence expressing gratitude for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). However, the resolution’s primary objective was to condemn an antisemitic attack. Separately, in a January video, Moulton expressed his view that "ICE is beyond repair. It obviously needs to be abolished." The resolution occurred shortly after a woman was taken into ICE custody in Massachusetts and before federal agents were reported to have killed two U.S. citizens in Minnesota in 2026.
Seth Moulton on ICE: Moulton asserted, "I was the first in this race to say that ICE not only needs to be abolished — they need to be prosecuted." This claim is accurate regarding the 2026 campaign. However, it omits that Senator Markey had previously called for abolishing ICE in 2020 and again shortly after Moulton’s recent statement. Calls to abolish ICE intensified in January following the reported fatal shootings of two individuals by federal immigration agents in Minnesota. On January 26, Moulton stated ICE "obviously needs to be abolished, but even more urgently, its gang of criminal enforcers needs to be prosecuted." Two days later, when asked about abolishing ICE, Markey responded that he wanted the agency to be made accountable and indicated he would vote against the ICE budget. That evening, Markey released a video stating, "Right now Democrats have the power to defund and abolish ICE. We should do it. This is about right and wrong. … Anyone who supports funding DHS and ICE is supporting the murder of Americans." Markey had also expressed a similar sentiment in a 2020 social media post, calling ICE "a ruthless deportation force" and stating, "It’s time to stand up to protect the rights and dignity of our immigrant neighbors and abolish ICE."
John Deaton on Electricity Costs: Deaton claimed, "Markey pays 16 cents for electricity per kilowatt hour in Maryland, ‘because Maryland is not subject to your policies. Here in Massachusetts, we pay 33 cents per kilowatt hour.’" While Deaton’s comparison is somewhat dated, his figures are broadly in the right vicinity. Residential electricity costs in Massachusetts averaged around 30 cents per kilowatt hour in March 2026, with some residents likely paying 33 cents. Maryland’s residential electricity prices were lower, averaging 22 cents per kilowatt hour in March 2026, with a 12-month average closer to 20 cents. Deaton’s comparison of 16 cents in Maryland and nearly 33 cents in Massachusetts was more accurate in March 2023.
Seth Moulton on Wind Power: Moulton stated, "We had an environmentally-friendly, good plan to do environmentally-approved wind power, and what has Trump done? Yanked it away from us." Former President Trump did attempt to halt an offshore wind farm project in Massachusetts. However, after legal challenges, the project was allowed to proceed and completed construction. An executive order issued by Trump on his first day back in office in 2025 aimed to suspend offshore wind leasing, but a federal judge blocked this policy in December 2025. The administration appealed the decision but later dropped it in June 2026, effectively vacating the freeze on wind energy leasing and permitting. Additionally, the Trump administration paused leases for five offshore wind projects, including Vineyard Wind in Massachusetts, citing national security concerns in late 2025. However, a federal judge permitted operations to resume in February 2026, and the Vineyard Wind project finished construction in March 2026.