Andover state Rep. Tram Nguyen is under attack from a rival in the six-way Democratic primary for Massachusetts' 6th Congressional District, with early voting set to begin Saturday, Aug. 22.

Lynnfield attorney and businessman John Beccia has sent mailers across the district criticizing Nguyen over what they call "no show" stipend pay for her legislative committee assignments in the Massachusetts House, the Andover Townsman reported on Aug. 20. Beccia's mailers also target rival Dan Koh over investments Koh made during his time with the Biden administration.

The mailers mark a new escalation in the race to replace U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, who chose to run for U.S. Senate rather than seek re-election. Six Democrats are competing for the nomination: Nguyen, Koh, Beccia, Jamie Belsito, Mariah Lancaster and Bethany Andres-Beck. The primary winner will face Republican Micah Jones, a U.S. Army veteran and lawyer from Essex, in November.

Beccia, who co-founded a financial consulting firm, reported about $2.3 million cash on hand as of June 30 Federal Election Commission filings, much of it from personal loans to his campaign. He was the first candidate in the race to launch television ads, committing roughly $1 million to TV and digital buys. Nguyen reported several hundred thousand dollars available, while Koh reported roughly $3 million.

Nguyen has not responded publicly to the mailers. The specific dollar amount, committee name and attendance record underlying Beccia's "no show" claim could not be independently verified from available public records.

Nguyen has framed her candidacy around public service and transparency. In a July 24 statement releasing five years of personal tax returns, she said: "Taking this step is important to me because I hear all the time how voters in this district are eager to have a candidate not fueled by or beholden to the special interests … My career has been in public service, first to victims and survivors and now to the people of my district and the Commonwealth."

An internal poll released by Nguyen's campaign in June showed her leading the field with 28% support among roughly 400 likely Democratic voters, compared with 18% for Koh. At least 24% remained undecided. No independent polling of the race has been published.

Early voting runs from Saturday, Aug. 22 through Aug. 28. The primary is Sept. 1. The voter registration deadline is also Aug. 22.