Richard Tisei and Seth Moulton. (@NAndoverPatch/Twitter)

It’s one small businessperson standing behind another in the upcoming Congressional midterm elections in Massachusetts’s 6th District. 

“I’ve met with Richard before, and I believe in what he’s doing,” said Topsfield, Massachusetts resident Nancy Luther. 

Though not a business owner herself, Luther spoke on behalf of the owners of the Whoo(pie) Wagon and Topsfield Bakery, Mary and Chris Bandereck, who had been overwhelmed with work in preparation for their whoopie pie booth at the Topsfield fair starting Oct. 3. 

The Topsfield Bakery has served the North Shore area and surrounding communities for 15 years and is the official home of the famous New England confectionary truck the Whoo(pie) Wagon. 

“It’s a lovely small business that’s supporting Richard Tisei,” Luther said on behalf of the Whoo(pie) Wagon. 

Tisei himself owns a small business called Northrup Associates Realtors. As he describes it on his website, the business “has grown into one of the largest independent real estate firms on the North Shore.”

Recently endorsed by the National Federation of Independent Businesses, Tisei recounts the struggles he faced while trying to make it through the rec

ession as a business owner on his website. 

Luther explained that the greatest problems facing the bakery and other small businesses in the community are taxes and overregulation from Federal Bureaucrats. 

To combat this issue, Tisei says that he will address the massive regulatory burdens coming down from Washington bureaucracies that make it difficult for small business to grow and create jobs. 

“The overregulation by the Federal Government has brought the industry to its knees and Tisei said he wants to keep the government out of our bedrooms and our pockets,” said Luther.  

Another reason Luther said that she and the Bandereck’s stand behind Tisei is because he is a strong advocate for the elderly and disabled, and has the awards from social service agencies to prove it. 

“That shows he has a strong conscience, and that’s important,” she said.  

Whoo(pie) Wagon owners and Richard Tisei. @whoopie_wagon, Twitter.

This enthusiasm amongst supporters of Tisei may be due to the fact that there is an open seat, as well as the added Republican enthusiasm to win in this race for the first time in 18 years. 

Despite being the first Massachusetts candidate in 22 years to defeat a sitting congressman from his own party, the road to Capitol Hill will not be an easy one for political newcomer and Democrat Seth Moulton.  

Moulton now finds himself trailing Republican Richard Tisei 41% to 39% in the most recent survey released by the Emerson College Polling Society. 

Seth Moulton defeated incumbent John Tierney on the September 9th primary for the Massachusetts 6th District Democratic seat. The Boston Globe writes that he was the first Massachusetts candidate in 22 years to defeat a sitting congressman from his own party.

“Moulton’s win against John Tierney, who had 18 years of experience in Congress, could be a sign that people are done with Washington’s gridlock problem,” said political science professor at Salem State University Daniel M. Mulcare. 

Mulcare explained that by looking at Moulton’s campaign, it’s clear that he used negative ads to target Tierney and made the point that he only passed one bill in the last 18 years. He was also able to hammer home an important message- “It’s time for change.”

“Instead of seeing Moulton as a real threat to his position, Tierney spent all of his time and energy on preparing to beat Richard Tisei,” said Mulcare. 

“It should be interesting to see how Tisei stacks up in the race against a 35-year-old former marine and Harvard graduate instead of a nine-term incumbent with political baggage.” 

Mulcare expressed that he has heard that the current democratic leadership is not impressed with Moulton mainly because he doesn’t have a real stance on democratic issues. 

“I’ve heard the view that more progressive democrats want Tisei to win, so the current mayor of Salem can run in 2 years,” said Mulcare. 

Moulton will face off against Tisei for a seat in the House in the November 4th election for Congress.

Reach Staff Reporter Brianne Tracy here.