Markey Defeats Moulton in Massachusetts Democratic Senate Primary
BOSTON — Incumbent Sen. Ed Markey won the Democratic primary in Massachusetts on Tuesday, defeating Rep. Seth Moulton in a race that centered on age and the future direction of the party. The Associated Press and NBC News projected Markey’s victory.
Markey, 80, topped Moulton, 47, by a margin of 76% to 24%, according to one report. He will face Republican John Deaton in the general election in November in a state considered safely Democratic.
The race was framed around whether Markey, who has served in Congress for nearly 50 years and would be 86 by the end of a third full term, was too old to continue. Moulton made age a central issue, telling the Boston Globe last fall, “Is he too old? Look, every political consultant will tell me not to say this, but the honest truth is, yes.”
Moulton, a six-term congressman and decorated Iraq War veteran, also highlighted an incident during a debate in which Markey appeared unfamiliar with artificial intelligence platforms like Claude and ChatGPT. When asked if he used them, Markey responded, “I use whatever is inside of my iPhone or my iPad — whatever comes up, and I don’t know what companies my iPad may be using.” Moulton shot back, “With all due respect, senator, if you don’t even know what you’re using on your phone or your iPad, like, this is why we need a new generation of leaders.” He later argued that not understanding AI “should be disqualifying for a US Senator.”
Markey, however, countered by stressing his progressive credentials and experience. He campaigned on his 2022 climate bill, the Green New Deal, and “Medicare for All,” and told voters, “It’s not your age, it’s the age of your ideas.” He also attacked Moulton’s more moderate positions, including comments Moulton made about transgender athletes in sports.
Moulton had said in 2024 that he didn’t want his young daughters “getting run over on a playing field by a male or formerly male athlete” and suggested Democrats were afraid to address the issue. During a debate this month, he said transgender athletes should be allowed to take part in girls’ sports and called for a discussion about “issues of safety and fairness.” Markey accused Moulton of throwing “trans kids under the bus.”
Markey received endorsements from Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ayanna Pressley, and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Warren, Sanders, and Pressley appeared together in a campaign ad for Markey. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee also gave Markey’s campaign a $62,000 boost less than three weeks before Election Day.
Polls in the weeks before the primary showed Markey pulling away, with voters viewing his long tenure as a strength rather than a liability. The result marks the second consecutive primary in which Markey has defeated a younger challenger, having bested former Rep. Joe Kennedy in 2020.
Markey is expected to win in November, which would add another six years to his lengthy career in Congress.