Democratic Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts speaks at a news conference on the Trump Administration’s planned cuts to the Social Security Administration at the Capitol on March 26, 2025 in Washington, DC.
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Sen. Ed Markey has won the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in Massachusetts, according to a race call by The Associated Press, repelling a challenge from Rep. Seth Moulton.
While the result marks yet another win for the progressive wing of the party this election cycle, it’s also a defeat for those calling for generational change and a new direction in party leadership.
In other recent primaries, races have been fought across generational lines with younger Democratic candidates running as progressives, challenging older incumbents sometimes arguing that it’s time for new ideas.
Yet Markey successfully fought off discontent among Democrats with their party’s establishment by arguing that he has long fought for progressive ideals.
Markey, who turned 80 this July, first became a Congressman in 1976. Moulton joined politics more than three decades later in 2014 and has repeatedly called for a new generation of leadership through the race.
Sen. Markey, who often introduces himself as the son of a milkman from Malden, supports “Medicare for All,” opposes President Trump’s defense budget and raising taxes on the rich.
He believes that the focus of candidates’ debates should be on their ideas and not their age.
“This is the most energized I’ve ever been, fighting Donald Trump every single day, fighting his agenda to undermine families all across our country,” Markey said during a debate hosted by WWLP in July. “And I lead that fight.”
Markey had been leading the polls recently, which also revealed that his supporters felt a connection to his progressivism and were less moved by concern over his age.
The senator had endorsements from his fellow Senator from Massachusetts, Elizabeth Warren, as well as Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.
In an August debate, Markey accused Moulton of not standing up for transgender rights, telling the congressman that after President Trump was reelected, “You threw those trans kids under the bus.”
He was referring to when Moulton in 2024 said Democrats should be able to talk about trans issues, adding that he didn’t want his daughters “getting run over on a playing field by a male or formerly male athlete.”
During the debate, Moulton apologized for hurting people with his comments and said he supports LGBTQ rights.
This was the second time Markey won a primary challenge against a much younger candidate. In 2020, Markey defeated Rep. Joe Kennedy III who also argued that Massachusetts needed younger representation.
Markey will now face attorney John Deaton this November for the Senate seat.
Markey is heavily favored to win come November in deep blue Massachusetts.
Follow The NPR Network for more on Massachusetts’ primary results:
