Massachusetts Democrats have rejected a push for generational change, returning 80-year-old Senator Ed Markey to the ballot while also renominating veteran Representatives Richard Neal and Stephen Lynch in Tuesday’s primary.
Mr Markey comfortably defeated Seth Moulton, 47, who had argued that the party needed younger leadership. Unofficial results put the senator on roughly two-thirds of the vote, with Mr Moulton conceding and pledging his support for Mr Markey in November. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/7968135279320c758b0fd4750d864db9?utm_source=openai))
The result means Mr Markey is expected to face Republican John Deaton in the general election on November 3, and could remain in the Senate until he is 86. He has said the six-year term he was seeking would be his last.
Massachusetts primary voters back experience
Mr Moulton made Mr Markey’s age the defining issue of his campaign, presenting himself as the candidate who could move the Democratic Party into a new era. But the challenge struggled to gain traction against an incumbent who has spent five decades in Congress and remains closely associated with progressive causes.
Mr Markey also attacked Mr Moulton over comments questioning whether transgender girls should compete in girls’ school sport. The issue helped the senator consolidate support among progressive and LGBTQ+ voters, while allowing him to cast his younger rival as insufficiently committed to the party’s left-wing agenda.
It was a strategy similar to the one Mr Markey used in 2020, when he defeated Joe Kennedy III, another younger and more moderate Democratic challenger.
Mr Moulton’s defeat also leaves an open race for his House seat north of Boston. Dan Koh, a former Biden White House aide, won the Democratic nomination after securing endorsements from both Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, despite doubts among some Democrats about tying his campaign to an administration many in the party were keen to move beyond. He is expected to win the heavily Democratic district in November. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/5d811d5ea26a6efa8c3b261d47cc3024?utm_source=openai))
Richard Neal and Stephen Lynch survive challenges
Mr Neal, 77, held on in western Massachusetts against public school teacher Jeromie Whalen, while Mr Lynch, 71, defeated progressive challenger Patrick Roath. Both incumbents won by narrower margins than in some previous contests but are strong favourites to return to Congress.
The victories reinforced Massachusetts Democrats’ reluctance to remove established office-holders. The state has not elected a Republican to any of its congressional seats since 1994, leaving its Democratic incumbents with unusually secure positions even when younger candidates campaign against them.
That pattern is unlikely to last indefinitely. Senator Elizabeth Warren, now 77, would face re-election in 2030, while Mr Markey’s next term would expire in 2032. Potential successors already being discussed include Representatives Ayanna Pressley and Jake Auchincloss, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and former mayor Marty Walsh.
For now, however, the message from Massachusetts is clear: arguments for renewal have not outweighed the influence, familiarity and ideological credentials of the state’s long-serving Democrats.
