Daniel Arrigg Koh, 41, prevailed in a crowded primary to win the Democratic nomination for the 6th Congressional District seat vacated by Seth Moulton.

Koh was born and raised in Andover. His father, Dr. Howard Koh, the son of Korean immigrants, served as assistant secretary for health in the Obama administration. His mother, Dr. Claudia Arrigg, the granddaughter of Lebanese immigrants, is an ophthalmologist in private practice.

Koh attended Phillips Academy and graduated Harvard with bachelor degrees in government and psychology. He received his MBA from Harvard Business School in 2011. He currently lives in Andover with his wife of 10 years, Amy Sennett, in-house counsel for a Silicon Valley AI firm, and their children, Theodora, 5, and Jack, 3.

Koh is a lifelong partisan, having served as an intern for Sen. Edward Kennedy, an adviser to Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, chief of staff to Marty Walsh when he was both mayor of  Boston and U.S. labor secretary, and an assistant to President Joe Biden. In 2018, Koh ran an unsuccessful campaign against Lori Trahan in the Democratic primary for the 3rd Congressional District. He served one term on the Andover Select Board in 2019-21.

Koh would not agree to an interview with the Journal but did answer questions in writing. For a candidate who says he’s “Here to show what Democrats CAN do,” Koh’s responses to our questions were curiously devoid of concrete policy statements.

Koh has made ending the Iran war a central tenet of his campaign. When asked to detail his objections to the Iran war, he offered a more general statement about “why I’m so deeply opposed to Donald Trump’s approach to foreign policy.

“We’ve seen what happens when this administration chooses escalation over diplomacy and sends us down the path toward another endless war. I strongly oppose the United States being dragged into another forever war in the Middle East. Donald Trump escalated this illegal war with Iran, and working families are paying the price. It has strained our economy, driven up gas prices, and created even more uncertainty for families already struggling with the cost of living.”

Koh went on to say he’s “running for Congress because we need to change course. One of my central goals in Congress will be to end this war in Iran and bring our troops home. We need a foreign policy that puts American families first, uses diplomacy whenever possible, and does not send our service members into another endless war.”

While declining to share his thoughts about the Iran war’s impact on Middle Eastern (or global) security and stability, he did engage in some identity politics, invoking the memories of his great-grandparents, who emigrated from Lebanon to Lawrence 130 years ago.

“As a Lebanese American, this conflict is deeply personal to me,” he noted. “I still have family in the region who wake up every day wondering if it could be their last. One side of my family comes from a little village south of Beirut, Lebanon. I think about the people I love and the people I talk to who don’t know what the next day will bring. The fear, uncertainty, and loss of innocent life we’re seeing across the region is horrifying.”

Koh declined to answer questions about whether Israel’s right to defend itself includes military operations in Lebanon and Syria.

On July 15, more than half of all House Democrats – including the entire Massachusetts delegation – supported a measure to cut all $3.3 billion in military and humanitarian aid to Israel  (it failed, 314-104). Koh declined to say whether he supported such a measure, or whether he believed the U.S. should continue sending arms – or any – financial support to Israel.

Koh declined to answer questions about whether Israel’s actions in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023 constitute a genocide. He is on record as saying action in the Middle East matters more than applying labels, but declined to offer any concrete proposals for addressing, in his words, “the suffering in Gaza.”

He acknowledged that “Oct. 7 was a horrific attack. Hamas, a terrorist organization, murdered civilians and took hostages, and the pain and trauma that followed are still deeply felt by Jewish communities in Israel and around the world. There is no justification for the atrocities committed by Hamas.”

He went on to note, “The conflict that has continued in Gaza is devastating. We need to do everything we can to make sure humanitarian aid reaches the people of Gaza without obstruction and that our laws are upheld and enforced. Lasting peace and stability will ultimately require diplomacy and a two-state solution. I believe there will be a very different and, I hope, more peaceful Middle East when Netanyahu is no longer in power.”

Koh went on to link his criticism of Israel’s policies and actions with the rise of Jew hatred in the U.S.

“At the same time, nothing Netanyahu or the Israeli government does can ever excuse the antisemitism we are seeing in this country,” he noted. “I’ve talked to people across this district who are afraid because of the threats and harassment they’re receiving. When I worked in the White House [during the Biden administration], I worked on issues of antisemitism. I will always stand with our Jewish neighbors and fight back against growing antisemitism.”

Koh declined to answer questions about whether Israel’s policies in the occupied West Bank make it an apartheid state. On Sept. 29, all but one Senate Democrat – including both Massachusetts senators – voted to advance a measure that would force the Trump administration to produce a human rights report examining violence by Israel in the West Bank (it failed, 47-51). Koh declined to say whether he would favor such a report.

Likewise, Koh declined to say whether he would support imposing sanctions on Israel for building settlements in the West Bank, as some top Congressional Democrats have proposed.

Finally, we noted that Koh has made abolishing ICE a major plank in his platform. We added that both the ICE facility in Burlington and Hanscom Field, from which ICE flies detainees out of state, are in the 6th District, and that both are sites of weekly protests held by large groups of constituents, many of whom are Jewish.

Koh declined to detail any concrete proposals for abolishing ICE, nor did he commit to working to close the ICE Burlington field office or stopping the flights out of Hanscom. Instead, he spoke of committing to “dignity, due process, and protecting families.

“Donald Trump is terrorizing immigrant families, ignoring due process, and promoting cruel policies that are pitting neighbors against one another. We need a full overhaul of our broken immigration system through comprehensive legislation, not more fear and division.

“I recently attended the accompaniment of Blanca Martinez at the Burlington ICE facility, a beloved Salem community member who has called Massachusetts home for more than a decade.  Stories like Blanca’s are what this fight is really about. I’ll always stand with my immigrant neighbors in the Sixth and fight for an immigration system that treats people with the dignity they deserve.”

Contact reporter Brett M. Rhyne at brett@jewishjournal.org.

 

The questions Koh declined to answer:

Israel

1. Have you ever visited Israel? If so, when and where did you visit?
2. Have you ever visited the West Bank or Gaza? If so, when and where did you visit?
3. Some Democrats in Congress believe Israel is an apartheid state. Do you believe Israel is an apartheid state?
4. In July, more than half of all House Democrats supported a measure to cut all $3.3 billion in military and humanitarian aid to Israel. Do you support cutting all $3.3 billion in military and humanitarian aid to Israel?
5. Should the U.S. continue to send any arms to Israel? Should the U.S. put conditions on aid to Israel?
6. The United States formally designates Hamas as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and actively supports the complete dismantling of its rule and military power in the Gaza Strip, according to Congress.gov. Do you agree with the FTO designation? What is your position on Hamas?
7. You’re on record supporting a two-state solution. Would you support or oppose Hamas governing a Palestinian state?

 

Gaza

1. Do Israel’s actions in Gaza since Oct. 8, 2023 constitute a genocide?
2. You’re on record as saying action in the Middle East matters more than applying labels. What are your concrete proposals for addressing, in your words, “the suffering in Gaza”?

 

The West Bank

1. This week, all but one Senate Democrat voted to advance a measure that would force the Trump administration to produce a human rights report examining violence by Israel in the West Bank. Do you support producing a human rights report examining violence by Israel in the West Bank?
2. Top Democrats in Congress have proposed legislation that would impose sanctions on Israel for building settlements in the West Bank. Do you support imposing sanctions on Israel for building settlements in the West Bank?

 

The Iran War

1. You’re on record as opposing the Iran War. Many leading Democrats do not oppose the war per se, instead criticizing the Trump administration’s management of it.
2. What are your objections to the Iran War?
3. What are your thoughts about the Iran War and its impact on Middle East and global security and stability?

 

ICE

1. You’ve made abolishing ICE a major plank in your platform. What are your concrete proposals for abolishing ICE?
2. Both the ICE facility in Burlington and Hanscom Field, from which ICE flies detainees out of state, are in the 6th District. Both are sites of weekly protests held by large groups of Jewish constituents.
3. Will you work to close the ICE Burlington field office?
4. Will you work to stop the flights out of Hanscom?

 

Antisemitism

1. In Massachusetts, Jewish organizations such as synagogues, day schools, community centers and businesses spend $34 million annually to protect people antisemitic violence. Do you think Congress has addressed this satisfactorily? What will you do to make our community feel safer?
2. You’re on record as supporting the affordability approach promoted by Democrats such as New York’s Zohran Mamdani and Michigan’s Abdul El-Sayed. Neither of them recognize Israel as a sovereign country and some Jews believe they are contributing to antisemitism and violence against Jews in the U.S. What are your thoughts on progressive Democrats who may be creating a “litmus test” for Americans on Israel?

 

Micah Jones’ interview is available here:

Koh, Jones vie for open congressional seat