Dan Koh

Dan Koh
Official portrait, 2021
Personal details
BornDaniel Arrigg Koh
(1985-01-01) January 1, 1985 (age 41)
PartyDemocratic
Spouse
Amy Sennett
​
(m. 2016)​
Children2
RelativesHoward Koh (father)
Harold Koh (uncle)
EducationHarvard University (AB, MBA)
WebsiteCampaign website
Korean name
Hangul
고원영
RRGo Wonyeong
MRKo Wŏnyŏng

Daniel Arrigg Koh (Korean: 고원영; born January 1, 1985) is an American politician. He was a deputy assistant to President Joe Biden and deputy director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs. He is the Democratic nominee in Massachusetts's 6th congressional district.

Early life and education

Koh was born to doctors Howard K. Koh and Claudia A. Arrigg, the middle of three children. His father later served as United States Assistant Secretary for Health for President Barack Obama. Koh's mother is the granddaughter of Lebanese emigrants who arrived in Lawrence, Massachusetts, in the 1890s. His uncle, Harold Hongju Koh, was Dean of Yale Law School and a Legal Adviser of the Department of State.

Koh and his two siblings graduated from Phillips Academy, where their mother attended and serves as an Alumni Trustee. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard University and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.

Career

At the age of 29, Koh became chief of staff to Boston Mayor Marty Walsh after a stint as chief of staff for Arianna Huffington. Koh was featured in Forbes 30 Under 30 and the Boston Business Journal 40 Under 40. He left the Walsh administration to run in the 2018 election for Massachusetts's 3rd congressional district, in which he lost the Democratic primary to Lori Trahan by 145 votes, receiving 18,435 votes to Trahan's 18,580 votes.

Local government

In 2019, Koh was elected to the Board of Selectmen in Andover, Massachusetts. Koh received 2,733 votes, more than any other candidate. He resigned from the Board of Selectmen in February 2021 to join the Biden Administration.

Biden Administration

In 2021, Walsh, who had become United States Secretary of Labor under Joe Biden, named Koh as his Chief of Staff. Koh later served as Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Cabinet Secretary at the White House. He concluded his service as Deputy Assistant to the President and deputy director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs. Koh was seen as a potential candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts in the 2022 Massachusetts gubernatorial election. Koh did not run and Kim Driscoll was ultimately elected lieutenant governor.

2026 congressional campaign

Following Seth Moulton's announcement that he would run for the United States Senate, Koh announced in October 2025 that he would be running in the 2026 election for Massachusetts's 6th congressional district, the only open seat of the cycle in the Massachusetts congressional delegation. He was endorsed by both Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

Koh won the Democratic primary on September 1, 2026 with a plurality of 41.1%, beating runner-up Tram Nguyen by nearly 12 points. If Koh were to win the general election as expected, he would be Massachusetts's first Asian-American representative.

Personal life

Koh is married to Amy Sennett, a lecturer in law at Columbia Law School and General Counsel at micro1. They met at Harvard, where Koh was pursuing an MBA and Sennett a JD/MBA. The couple eloped in 2016 at Boston City Hall, where Koh's boss, Mayor Marty Walsh officiated. A religious ceremony was held the following month. Koh and his wife have two children, a son and a daughter.

Koh has ADHD.

Electoral history

2018 Massachusetts' 3rd congressional district Democratic primary
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Lori Trahan 18,527 21.6
Democratic Dan Koh 18,405 21.5
Democratic Barbara L'Italien 13,029 15.2
Democratic Juana Matias 12,982 15.1
Democratic Rufus Gifford 12,856 15.1
Democratic Alexandra Chandler 4,848 5.7
Democratic Beej Das 1,496 1.7
Democratic Jeffrey Ballinger 1,388 1.6
Democratic Bopha Malone 1,344 1.6
Democratic Leonard Golder 585 0.7
Write-in 131 0.2
Total votes 88,818 100.0
2026 Massachusetts' 6th Congressional district Democratic primary
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Dan Koh 47,835 40.9
Democratic Tram Nguyen 34,324 29.4
Democratic John Beccia 14,215 12.2
Democratic Jamie Belsito 11,268 9.6
Democratic Mariah Lancaster (withdrawn) 4,725 4.0
Democratic Beth Andres-Beck 4,385 3.8
Write-in 156 0.1
Total votes 116,908 100.0

References

  1. 1 2 이, 훈철 (September 4, 2026). "[美중간선거 D-60]③한국계 후보들 면면…제주 고씨 이민3세 도전장" (in Korean). News1. Archived from the original on September 8, 2026. Retrieved September 8, 2026.
  2. ↑ "Chief of staff hits a chord with Mayor Walsh - the Boston Globe". The Boston Globe.
  3. 1 2 3 "Daniel Arrigg Koh | IGA". The White House. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  4. 1 2 "AP race call at 10:27 p.m. on Sept. 1, 2026""Live Results: U.S. House Massachusetts". Washington Post. September 2, 2026.
  5. 1 2 Weaver, Lex (September 1, 2026). "Dan Koh wins primary for 6th congressional district to replace Seth Moulton, AP projects". WGBH.
  6. ↑ Burnley, Malcolm (March 6, 2018). "Koh, What a Life". Boston Magazine. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Claudia A. Arrigg, MD, MEd | Ophthalmologist". Boston Vision. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  8. ↑ "For Legacy Family, Andover Is 'Always Home'". Andover | An independent and inclusive coed boarding high school. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  9. ↑ "Daniel Koh". Council Korean Americans (CKA). Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Trahan takes Dem nomination in third after district-wide recount". Boston Herald. September 17, 2018. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  11. ↑ DeCosta-Klipa, Nik (October 25, 2017). "Watch: Dan Koh officially announces campaign for Congress with dramatic launch video". The Boston Globe. ISSN 0743-1791. Retrieved September 3, 2026.
  12. ↑ "2019 Andover Local Election Results".
  13. ↑ "Dan Koh Resigns From Andover Select Board To Join Biden Admin". Andover, MA Patch. February 23, 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
  14. ↑ Tauscher, Teddy (July 20, 2022). "Andover native Dan Koh to move to position in White House". Eagle-Tribune. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Lucas: Never mind Marty Walsh, keep an eye on Dan Koh". Boston Herald. December 5, 2021. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  16. ↑ Reilly, Adam (October 16, 2025). "As field to replace Moulton grows, disappointment in Democrats a common theme". GBH.
  17. ↑ "Dan Koh's win on the North Shore is a vicarious victory for Biden, Harris". GBH. September 2, 2026. Retrieved September 3, 2026.
  18. ↑ Smith, Jennifer. "Koh comes out on top in crowded primary race to replace Moulton". Commonwealth Beacon. Retrieved September 3, 2026.
  19. ↑ "Amy Sennett, Daniel Koh". The New York Times. June 26, 2016.
  20. ↑ "Meet Dan". Dan Koh for Congress. Retrieved September 3, 2026.
  21. ↑ Matchan, Linda (November 6, 2015). "ADHD Comes to City Hall: Boston Mayoral Aide Shares His Struggle with ADHD". ADDitude. Retrieved August 20, 2023.