Angus McQuilken

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Angus McQuilken

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

September 1, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

University of Massachusetts Amherst, 1991

Personal

Birthplace

Cambridge, Mass.

Profession

Public Policy

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

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Personal Facebook

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Personal LinkedIn

Angus McQuilken (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Massachusetts' 6th Congressional District. He lost in the Democratic primary on September 1, 2020.

McQuilken completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

McQuilken was a 2004 Democratic candidate in a special election for the Norfolk, Bristol, and Middlesex District of the Massachusetts State Senate. He also ran as a Democratic candidate in the regular election of that year.

Biography

Angus McQuilken was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He received a bachelor's degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in 1991. McQuilken's professional experience includes working in public policy, communications, and economic development. He has been affiliated with the Young Democrats of Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence, and the North Shore Technology Council.

Elections

2020

See also: Massachusetts' 6th Congressional District election, 2020

Massachusetts' 6th Congressional District election, 2020 (September 1 Democratic primary)

Massachusetts' 6th Congressional District election, 2020 (September 1 Republican primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Massachusetts District 6

Incumbent Seth Moulton defeated John Paul Moran and Matthew Mixon in the general election for U.S. House Massachusetts District 6 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Seth Moulton (D)	65.4	286,377
		John Paul Moran (R)	34.4	150,695
		Matthew Mixon (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	0
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	605

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 437,677
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Massachusetts District 6

Incumbent Seth Moulton defeated Jamie Zahlaway Belsito and Angus McQuilken in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Massachusetts District 6 on September 1, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Seth Moulton	78.0	124,928
		Jamie Zahlaway Belsito	12.2	19,492
		Angus McQuilken	9.7	15,478
		Other/Write-in votes	0.2	268

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 160,166
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Lisa Peterson (D)
• Nathaniel Mulcahy (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Massachusetts District 6

John Paul Moran advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Massachusetts District 6 on September 1, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		John Paul Moran	98.9	32,564
		Other/Write-in votes	1.1	375

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 32,939
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Angus McQuilken completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by McQuilken's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a father, an educator, and a longtime advocate and organizer for progressive Democratic causes who has gotten results. I am also a leader in building and supporting the innovation economy in Massachusetts. I got my start in political organizing through the environmental movement while a student at UMass Amherst. After graduating from UMass I co-founded the Young Democrats of Massachusetts. From 1993 through 2004 I served as the Chief of Staff for Massachusetts State Senator Cheryl Jacques, our state's first openly LGBTQ senator. From 2004 through 2008 I served as the Vice President of Public Affairs for Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, including a term as Chair of the Massachusetts Coalition for Choice. After the massacre of children and educators in Newtown, CT, I co-founded the Massachusetts Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence. I have worked for the past 30 years to ensure that Massachusetts has the most effective gun laws in the country. From 2008-2017, I served as a state economic development official as part of the founding executive team for the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, helping to architect the strategy that allowed Massachusetts to emerge as the global leader in life sciences. For more than ten years, I have also served as an instructor in the communications department at Lasell University in Newton, MA, mentoring and training undergraduates in public relations.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• We need leaders who can get results. I have spent the past 30 years organizing coalitions and passing legislation that has made a difference in people's lives.
• I am running because there is work to do in Washington on issues that need urgent attention, such as economic recovery and healthcare access, as well as ongoing priorities such as gun violence prevention, the climate crisis, transportation, and higher education access.
• We are giving voters a real choice in this election. Voters who are satisfied with the status quo can vote for the incumbent, but voters who share my passion for change can join this campaign for change in the 6th Congressional District.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about gun violence prevention, which is costing our nation too many lives each year, including too many young people. As a parent of four children, I am deeply concerned about the psychological toll that gun violence is taking on our youth as they grow up in an environment of violence and fear. We need to build a broad based coalition of support at the national level and not take no for an answer on meaningful and effective gun laws.

I am also passionate about the climate crisis, another issue that requires urgent attention. We need to restore our position of global leadership in international climate talks, and seize the opportunity presented by the Green New Deal to build a green economy.

As a cancer survivor, I am passionate about health care access. When I was diagnosed with cancer 12 years ago, I had access to world class care, including the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Our health care system will not be good enough until everyone has access to affordable and high quality health care, including women's reproductive health care. The current COVID-19 crisis has laid bare the inequities in our health care system that need to be addressed.

As a graduate of UMass Amherst, I am passionate about restoring the affordability of higher education and providing relief from student loan debt.

As a builder of our innovation economy, I am passionate about the role life sciences innovation can play in contributing to economic recovery and improved care.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Through a lifetime of involvement in politics and government, I have seen two kinds of legislators: those who view it as their job to co-sponsor proposals put forward by others and then send out a press release, and those who understand that the real job is to research issues, propose meaningful legislation, and build broad coalitions of support to help get these proposals enacted. That is the hard work of being a policymaker.

The other important part of this job is constituent services, so that constituents can get the support of their member of Congress and their staff in addressing the individual problems that they face. In order to be effective in addressing the concerns of constituents, members of Congress must be available and accessible to constituents throughout their district on a regular basis.

What legacy would you like to leave?

My role as an advocate will not be complete until we have meaningful and effective national gun laws. That will be my legacy.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was as a maintenance assistant in a senior housing facility in my hometown. I handled cleaning, maintenance and repairs, landscaping, and other tasks. I had this position for about a year.

What is your favorite book? Why?

My favorite book is Long Walk to Freedom, the autobiography of Nelson Mandela, a pivotal leader who, through his moral courage, changed the world.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

In order to be an effective leader it is important to understand how government works and the many factors that go into the creation of legislation. I believe that it is helpful to have diverse opinions in Congress and people from a variety of backgrounds. However, I do believe that experience in government or politics can be beneficial in getting things accomplished.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

I believe one of our greatest challenges will be to restore our moral leadership in the world after the damage done to our global standing through the actions of President Trump.

Another challenge the United States will face over the next decade will be to urgently and meaningfully address the climate crisis while seizing the opportunity to transition to a green economy.

Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

Early in my campaign, I met a young man whose brother had recently died of an opioid overdose. We had a lengthy and important conversation about the role of government in helping to prevent opioid addiction. This conversation has stuck with me and will influence my priorities as a member of Congress.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

2020 Elections

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Government

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External links

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Footnotes

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Massachusetts' current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Edward Markey (D)

Elizabeth Warren (D)

Representatives

District 1

Richard Neal (D)

District 2

Jim McGovern (D)

District 3

Lori Trahan (D)

District 4

Jake Auchincloss (D)

District 5

Katherine Clark (D)

District 6

Seth Moulton (D)

District 7

Ayanna Pressley (D)

District 8

Stephen Lynch (D)

District 9

Bill Keating (D)

Democratic Party (11)