Democrat · Massachusetts's 6th District · 2026
Dan Koh
Koh has completed more than 80 marathons, including a race around Fenway Park in 2026.
Biography
Dan Koh wasn't a runner when he met Amy Sennett at graduate school, but told her he was after she mentioned training for the Boston Marathon.1 He has since completed more than 80 marathons, including a 2026 race around Fenway Park.2 The couple has two children.1
Born and raised in Andover, Koh comes from a family with Korean and Lebanese roots.1 He earned his bachelor's degree at Harvard and an MBA at Harvard Business School.1 His government work includes serving as Boston Mayor Marty Walsh's chief of staff, chief of staff at the Department of Labor and a senior Biden White House aide.1
Koh's private sector roles included chief operating officer of technology company HqO and chief of staff at The Huffington Post Media Group.1 He also served on Andover's Select Board.1 An earlier congressional campaign ended in a narrow 2018 primary loss to Lori Trahan in the 3rd District.3
His current platform supports automatic enrollment in a Medicare for All system that would preserve private insurance options.4 He also proposes faster housing permitting, expanded affordable housing tax credits and smaller homes that let seniors remain in their communities.5 He also calls for more immigration judges and asylum officers and expanded legal immigration pathways.6 Republican Micah Jones is his November opponent.7
Record and controversies
City Hall complaint handling
In 2018, GBH reported that Koh, then Boston Mayor Marty Walsh's chief of staff, had sat in an interview with a city employee who reported sexual harassment in 2014.8 The outlet reported that the accused employee was moved to another city job without losing status or pay.8 Koh's campaign declined comment for that 2018 report.8 GBH corrected the story to clarify that Koh was mentioned in the later lawsuit against the city and former health chief Felix Arroyo; he was not a defendant.8
Boston settled that lawsuit for $1 million in 2024; that was not a finding against Koh.9