MATBLEHEAD — As speculation grows over who will succeed Rep. Seth Moulton in Massachusetts’ 6th Congressional District, local Democrats are beginning to test the waters. Among them is Marblehead immigration attorney Diann Slavit Baylis, who confirmed Tuesday that she is “considering” a run in next year’s midterm elections.
Slavit Baylis, who served as a Massachusetts delegate to the 2024 Democratic National Convention, said her upbringing shaped her passion for service. The youngest of nine children in a middle-class family from Haverhill, she credits her parents for instilling in her the values of hard work, family, community, and civic responsibility.
“Now, our country is faced with an administration imposing radical restrictions on our freedoms, our healthcare, and our quality of life,” Slavit Baylis said.
As an immigration attorney, Slavit Baylis said she sees firsthand the human cost of federal policy.
“I fight against the Trump Administration every day through my role protecting clients from mean-spirited, unfair, and illegal immigration actions,” she said. “Donald Trump claimed he would target criminals, but what we’re seeing right here in this district is enforcement aimed at landscapers, home care workers, and others who are essential to our economy.”
She described witnessing the effects of those policies on “families, children, and well-deserving people who should not be treated like common criminals.”
Beyond immigration, Slavit Baylis said she’s concerned about broader economic and social issues affecting working families.
“The disconnect between what Donald Trump said he would do and what he’s actually done goes well beyond immigration,” she said. “He promised to lower the cost of living, but prices continue to rise. Families are struggling — worried about jobs, healthcare, and putting food on the table. We need a member of Congress who will fight every day to protect our families, our communities, and our democracy.”
Slavit Baylis noted that she’s run successfully in the district before — as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention last year — and is now speaking with voters across the region about what they’re looking for in their next representative.
Stay tuned, she added.
