Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey, 80, secured a decisive victory in the state's Democratic primary on Tuesday, defeating his younger challenger, Representative Seth Moulton, 47. Early results showed Markey leading Moulton by more than 40 percentage points, indicating a strong endorsement of the incumbent.
Moulton had campaigned on a platform advocating for generational change, arguing that older lawmakers had achieved little for their constituents. However, this strategy did not resonate with Massachusetts voters in this election. Markey, conversely, emphasized his long-standing record as a progressive champion, contrasting it with Moulton's more moderate stance.
Progressive figures in Congress, including Senator Bernie Sanders and Representatives Ro Khanna, Elizabeth Warren, Ayanna Pressley, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Pramila Jayapal, supported Markey. Khanna told CNN that Markey has been a "champion for working-class values" and a "critic of globalization and wealth inequality," asserting that a candidate's platform is more significant than age alone.
Markey's campaign highlighted his progressive agenda, including support for Medicare for All, abolishing ICE, and increased taxation on the wealthy. This win marks another setback for Moulton, who previously ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, ending his campaign early that year.
The Massachusetts primary outcome stands in contrast to some other primaries this year where progressive candidates have unseated incumbents. Notably, in June, candidates endorsed by New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani won several races, including Brad Lander's victory over Representative Dan Goldman and Darializa Avila Chevalier's win against Adriano Espaillat. In Colorado, Melat Kiros, a 29-year-old democratic socialist, unseated Representative Diana DeGette after nearly three decades in Congress.
Looking ahead to the November midterm elections, an exclusive July poll indicated that voters favored Democratic candidates by nine points. Even former President Donald Trump has expressed skepticism about the Republican Party's chances, citing concerns about conservative voter turnout in the absence of his name on the ballot.
The U.S. Senate seat in Massachusetts is expected to remain in Democratic hands, with John Deaton, a lawyer and Marine veteran, as the Republican nominee.