Senate Democrat Beats Challenger Three Decades Younger

Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey proved Tuesday night that age is no obstacle when voters are still firmly in your corner.

The 80-year-old progressive Democrat easily defeated Rep. Seth Moulton, 47, in the state’s Democratic Senate primary, crushing his younger challenger by roughly 65 percent to 35 percent, according to the Associated Press.

The lopsided victory delivered a major setback to Moulton’s argument that Democrats were ready for a generational changing of the guard.

Moulton built much of his campaign around Markey’s age, openly arguing that Massachusetts needed younger leadership in Washington. In one campaign ad, Moulton even acknowledged that he and Markey largely “want the same things,” while presenting himself as the candidate better positioned to lead Democrats into the future.

But voters clearly weren’t buying the pitch.

Moulton also positioned himself to Markey’s right on healthcare, creating an unusual Democratic primary battle at a time when several younger candidates around the country have tried to defeat older incumbents by running further to the left.

Markey instead leaned heavily into his progressive credentials and his decades-long political network.

The longtime lawmaker spent 37 years in the House before winning his Senate seat in 2013 and has continued to enjoy relatively strong approval ratings in Massachusetts.

He also entered the primary with an imposing list of endorsements, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Sen. Bernie Sanders, numerous labor unions and prominent local officials — including Boston’s mayor.

Markey used his victory speech to directly reject Moulton’s argument that younger automatically means better.

“Generational change isn’t about compromising, to do the small things better,” Markey told supporters. “It’s about fighting to do the big things best.”

Tuesday’s result also echoed another high-profile Democratic showdown from six years earlier.

In 2020, Markey faced Joseph Kennedy III, who was 35 years younger and came armed with one of the most famous political names in Massachusetts history.

Markey once again ran as the more progressive candidate — and won.

That stunning defeat marked the first recorded time a member of the Kennedy family had lost an election in Massachusetts.

Now, after dispatching another younger challenger by an even wider margin, Markey has once again sent a blunt message to Democrats looking to push him aside: Massachusetts voters apparently aren’t ready to retire him yet.