Ed Markey wins Massachusetts Democratic Senate primary

Senator Ed Markey won Massachusetts' Democratic primary on Tuesday, defeating Congressman Seth Moulton, who had sought to unseat him by arguing that the 80-year-old incumbent was too old to do his job effectively.

Massachusetts is a deeply Democratic state, making Markey the clear favorite for a third full term in November's general election, where he will face Republican nominee John Deaton. According to the Associated Press, Markey easily beat his 47-year-old rival. The race unfolded as Democratic voters remain anxious about the age of some lawmakers, a concern amplified by Joe Biden's troubled 2024 re-election effort and Kamala Harris's failure to prevent Donald Trump's return to the White House.

In other primaries around the country this year, Democratic voters have ousted several long-serving incumbents in favor of younger progressive challengers who pledged to break with party orthodoxy on issues such as support for Israel. Massachusetts, however, saw a different pattern: Markey has long championed progressive causes, while Moulton, who was born after Markey first entered the House in 1976, took more moderate positions on some issues.

Markey is known for advocating universal single-payer healthcare and the sweeping clean-energy agenda known as the Green New Deal. He has drawn support from leading progressives, including Senator Bernie Sanders and Senator Elizabeth Warren. Moulton, first elected to represent a northeastern Massachusetts district in 2014, has not endorsed single-payer proposals. He also apologized shortly before the primary for saying he did not want his daughters "getting run over on a playing field by a male or formerly male athlete" – remarks made after Trump defeated Harris in 2024, partly by pledging to curb transgender rights.

The issue of whether a lawmaker is too old to keep serving loomed large during an August debate. Markey told viewers he was more energized than ever, crisscrossing the state and fighting for families. Moulton countered that his opponent had spent less time holding town halls and forums, and pounced when Markey answered a question about which AI tools he used by saying "whatever is inside of my iPhone and my iPad – whatever comes up." Moulton argued that this showed the need for a new generation of leaders to regulate such technologies safely.

In the run-up to the primary, polls showed Markey with a comfortable lead. He also fended off a challenge from Joe Kennedy III in 2020.