In a crowded field, Nguyen throws down the tax return gauntlet

Money talks, and in the crowded race for the North Shore’s open Congressional seat, there’s a lot of talk about money — who has it, who doesn’t, where they’re spending and where it’s all coming from. 

The latest chapter in the checkbook comes from state Rep. Tram Nguyen. The Andover Democrat is releasing five years of her tax returns to the media and calling on the other candidates to do the same. 

“My opponents shouldn’t have any trouble meeting this minimum transparency standard, particularly those who are eagerly using their insider connections and personal wealth to fund their campaigns,” Nguyen said in a statement. 

Nguyen’s 2025 return shows a combined total income of about $232,000, for the lawmaker and her husband, a mechanical engineer. That includes their salaries, nearly $6,000 in interest, and $1,500 Nguyen earned from providing legal services.

At a May forum in Swampscott, all six Democrats competing in the primary said they'd be willing to make their tax info public. Three suggested there wouldn't be much to pore over. 

"I'll show you my tax returns and you'll cry because I'm broke," Jamie Belsito, a former state lawmaker and Topsfield's town moderator, said. 

Mariah Lancaster, a former foreign affairs officer from Salem, similarly described filings that would be "depressing for you all to see," while Middleton software engineer Beth Andres-Beck offered up something of a warning:  "Sure, I did them myself, so good luck." 

That makes Nguyen's challenge a direct shot at the two candidates sitting on the most towering war chests: Andover's Dan Koh, who's worked for Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and President Joe Biden, and fintech executive John Beccia of Lynnfield. 

Beccia and Koh have both filed financial disclosures with the U.S. House that shed light on their personal ledgers. Beccia’s shows that he and his spouse collected a little over $1.65 million in combined salary in 2025, plus income from an array of stocks and other assets. Koh, along with his own investment income, reported consulting fees from the National Hockey League Players' Association of $183,337, pay from the U.S. government and Harris transition team, and $40,000 in rental income. 

At the Swampscott forum, Koh, who has raised $4.5 million, answered the tax-return question with a simple “yes.” Beccia acknowledged what’s now a roughly $3 million elephant in the room — the money he’s lent his campaign — and said he’d release his returns because he’s “very proud” of his work in business and believes in transparency.

The six candidates are set to square off in another debate next Tuesday in North Andover. Whether any more tax returns are public by then or not, expect the biggest piles of cash to also become the biggest targets. 

Want to send me your tax returns? My inbox is open: [email protected]

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