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Six of 11 Massachusetts congress members score 'F' grades in integrity, advocacy group says

Tim Dunn, Boston Herald on

Published in Political News

Six members of the Massachusetts federal delegation have received failing grades in the Political Integrity Index — an analysis of their stock trading, contributions from corporate PACs, and more.

The index is managed by the independent political advocacy group Political Integrity Project, which states on its website its intent to “get big money out of politics.”

In Massachusetts, U.S. Reps. Seth Moulton, Jake Auchincloss, Richard Neal, Stephen Lynch, Katherine Clark and Bill Keating all received “F” grades in the latest index, primarily due to their trading activity along with campaign contributions received from corporate PACs.

Congressman Seth Moulton

Moulton received an F score of 46.9% from the index due to the $9.1 million he holds in stocks and the $348,900 in campaign contributions he has received from corporate PACs since 2023.

Moulton’s reported stock portfolio is notable, as some of the companies he has invested in are directly overseen by him in his capacity as a member of the House Armed Services Committee. Moulton reportedly holds $3 million in stock from OpenAI — a defense contractor currently in a partnership with the U.S. Army.

He holds another $3 million in Oura Health — a defense contractor supplying smart rings and biometric tracking in partnership with the Department of Defense, U.S. Navy, Air Force and Army.

Moulton also last year held $150,000 worth of stock in Divergent Technologies — a defense subcontractor that provides components to major defense contractors like Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman. He also invested in the company in 2023.

Moulton currently has $13.1 million in net assets, according to the index.

“People, not dollars, are the true currency of our democracy. I don’t take corporate PAC money. I don’t take fossil fuel money. And I don’t trade stocks or take part in sweetheart private equity deals, unlike Congressman Moulton,” Sen. Ed Markey, who’s facing a challenge from Moulton, said in a statement to the Herald. “We need to ban stock trading in Congress because no Member should ever be in a position to profit from a decision they get to vote on.”

Sen. Ed Markey

While Markey received an exemplary score of 91.54% for an A-, which the index says is based off his lack of stock trading or corporate campaign contributions, Federal Elections Commission (FEC) filings and IRS tax statements say otherwise.

According to FEC filings, Markey has accepted at least $8,000 from three separate corporate PACs this cycle, including $2,000 from Cozen O’Connor, $1,000 from FGS Global LLC, and $5,000 from NEA Fund for Children and Public Education — formerly a corporate PAC until 2025, when it changed its status to a lobbyist PAC.

When it comes to Markey’s stock trading, Moulton’s campaign tells the Herald that between 2014 and 2021, Markey invested in the Firsthand Technology Fund — an investment group with holdings in over a dozen companies that Markey could have had influence over through his committee assignments.

“It’s clear that Senator Markey is a fraud on this issue,” Moulton campaign Communications Director Taylor Hebble told the Herald. “He has taken corporate PAC money, fossil fuel lobby money, and has made money from investing in a fund that had holdings in 14 companies overseen by his committees. This is the same old Washington playbook, to blame someone for something you’ve done yourself.”

The Moulton campaign says it alerted the Political Integrity Project, as recently as last month, of what it calls inaccuracies in Markey and Moulton’s index reports.

Moulton’s team says it alerted the organization of the corporate PAC money Markey has taken in and requested corrections be made to Moulton’s profile — adding that this led Moulton to moving his family investments into a blind trust to comply with the organization’s pledge.

Congressman Jake Auchincloss

Auchincloss received an F score of 36.59% from the index. This was based off his $1.4 million stock portfolio and $338,000 in corporate PAC donations to his campaign account.

 

While sitting on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Auchincloss holds $1.4 million in stock in the mega-financial services provider State Street Corporation — a company he oversees in his capacity on the committee. He sold $32,500 worth of shares in May.

Auchincloss has $5.4 million in net assets, according to the index.

Congressman Bill Keating

Keating received an F score of 44.85%, primarily based on “financial conflicts of interest, corporate PAC donations and stock trading activity.”

The index reports Keating’s campaign has received $158,500 in corporate PAC money, while he also holds $386,519 in stocks. Keating currently has $2.6 million in net assets.

Congresswoman Katherine Clark

Clark, who’s the House Minority Whip, received the worst grade out of her fellow Massachusetts members of Congress, and perhaps the worst grade out of all 535 members, finishing with a score of 0.00%.

The index reports Clark currently holds $2.5 million in stock while taking in $1.9 million in corporate PAC donations to her campaign. Clark has $14.2 million in net assets, including $3.75 million in real property and $4.9 million in exchange traded funds.

Congressman Richard Neal

Neal earned a score of 37.14% for an F grade from the index, all due to the $2.1 million his campaign has received from corporate PACs.

The index lists his top corporate PAC contributors as Dell Technologies, AT&T, Burns and McDonnell Inc., JP Morgan Chase & Co., and Southwest Airlines, among others. Neal currently holds no stocks. He has $359,000 in net assets, according to the index.

Congressman Stephen Lynch

Lynch earned an F grade from the index on a score of 59.57%, due to $148,300 in corporate PAC donations his campaign has taken in. His top corporate campaign contributors include American Express, John Hancock Life Insurance Company, General Dynamics, and more.

Lynch also currently holds $16,000 in stock. The index reports Lynch currently has just over $1 million in net assets.

The rest of the delegation

Congresswoman Lori Trahan received a D from the index on a score of 63.9%, as Congressman Jim McGovern earned a B-, the next highest score, at 82.31%.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren earned the highest score in the delegation with 96.63% for an A from the index, while Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley received a score of 91.97% from the index, an A-.

_____


©2026 MediaNews Group, Inc. Visit at bostonherald.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

 

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