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2h ago

Seth Moulton Launches Primary Challenge to Sen. Ed Markey

The six-term congressman is centering his bid on generational turnover in a nationally watched Democratic primary.

FILE - Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., questions witnesses during a hearing of a special House committee dedicated to countering China, on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon,File)
FILE - Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., speaks during a transgender rights rally at the Lutheran Church of the Reformation on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, June 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana,File)
Representative Seth Moulton, a Democrat from Massachusetts, speaks during the US Chamber of Commerce's Global Aerospace Summit in Washington, DC, on September 10, 2025.
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Overview

  • Moulton announced his 2026 Democratic primary run with a video arguing Markey should not seek another six-year term at age 80 and faulting party leaders for clinging to the status quo.
  • Markey, first elected to Congress in 1976 and a co-author of the Green New Deal, previously defeated Joe Kennedy III in 2020 and has lined up support, including an endorsement from Sen. Elizabeth Warren and much of the state’s delegation.
  • A Fiscal Alliance Foundation poll cited in coverage showed Moulton leading a hypothetical matchup among likely voters, with a smaller edge among Democrats, though the survey is not a traditional primary sample.
  • Moulton highlighted priorities such as affordability, universal health care, banning assault weapons, climate action and protecting democracy, while invoking his Marine service and work on the 988 crisis lifeline.
  • The challenge opens his North Shore House seat and could draw additional Democratic contenders for Senate, with Ayanna Pressley not ruling out a run and analysts noting Moulton’s past comments on transgender athletes as a potential liability.