Ed Markey survives Massachusetts Senate primary against Seth Moulton
Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) is strongly favored to win a third term in the upcoming November election after convincingly defeating challenger Seth Moulton (D-MA) in the Massachusetts Democratic primary. Markey secured approximately 74.1% of the votes, with the race being called by the Associated Press early in the evening. Despite Moulton’s attempts to frame the race around Markey’s age, focusing on Markey’s advanced age of 80 amid a progressive push for younger candidates, Markey’s extensive progressive credentials and leadership on issues like the Green New Deal helped him maintain broad support, especially among younger voters. Markey, first elected to Congress in 1976, was supported by progressive figures including Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Moulton, at 47, a former 2020 presidential candidate and critic of Biden’s reelection, struggled to overcome Markey’s popularity with his shifts to more progressive positions and his vocal support for transgender rights. The Massachusetts seat is considered safely Democratic, with Markey expected to easily win the November contest against Republican John Deaton.
Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) is all but certain to secure a third term in the November general election after clinching the Massachusetts Senate Democratic primary Tuesday against the younger, more centrist Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA).
The race was called for Markey at 8:31 p.m. by the Associated Press. He garnered 74.1% to Moulton’s 25.9% with 3% of the vote counted.
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The contest was among the bitter primary feuds for Democrats this cycle, but bucked the growing trend of younger, more progressive insurgents ousting older and more centrist incumbents.
It was the progressive credentials of Markey, 80, that buoyed his bid for another term against Moulton, 47. Markey, who was first elected to the House in 1976, has been in Congress longer than Moulton has been alive.
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Despite trying to make age a flashpoint of the race, Moulton was unable to overcome Markey’s liberal accolades, which he used to secure support from younger voters. He’s a co-author of the Green New Deal, and he was backed by national progressive darlings and former presidential candidates like Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), as well as another home state colleague, Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA).
Moulton, himself a former 2020 White House candidate, was among the first Democrats to call for President Joe Biden to drop his reelection, challenged then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) for her leadership post, and struggled to chip away at Markey’s popularity with a pivot to the left from more moderate positions on policies like transgender athletes and government-run healthcare.
OCTOGENARIAN ED MARKEY’S PROGRESSIVE CREDENTIALS OUTWEIGH AGE CONCERNS IN MASSACHUSETTS
In the closing weeks of the campaign, Markey was one of the few Democrats nationally to lean into transgender rights, as he hammered Moulton for comments he made after the 2024 election.
The seat is solidly blue and is all but certain to go to Markey in November against Republican John Deaton.
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