Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts delivered a decisive victory over a much younger Democratic rival, underscoring the staying power of veteran lawmakers in a party still wrestling with questions about age and political renewal.
Markey, 80, was projected Tuesday night to win the Democratic U.S. Senate primary, defeating Rep. Seth Moulton, 47, after a bruising intraparty contest.
Initial results from reliably Democratic Massachusetts showed Markey with a commanding advantage, leading Moulton by more than 40 points.
Moulton had centered his campaign on a call for generational change, arguing that longtime Washington figures had too often failed to translate years in office into meaningful wins for constituents.
But that argument failed to gain traction in Massachusetts, where Markey leaned heavily on his long record as a progressive voice and sought to draw a sharp contrast with Moulton’s more centrist reputation.
Rep. Ro Khanna, a leading progressive in the House who has criticized the Democratic Party’s “old guard” but nevertheless endorsed Markey, defended the senator during an appearance Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union with Dana Bash, saying, “Markey, on the other hand, has been a champion for working-class values.”
“He’s been a critic of globalization and wealth inequality. So, to me, it’s not about just your age, though I think that is a relevant factor. It’s also your platform,” Khanna added.
Markey also drew support from some of the most recognizable figures on the progressive left, including Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and Reps. Ayanna Pressley, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Pramila Jayapal.
Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey speaks during a Get Out the Vote event on Saturday, August 29, 2026 in Boston
US Congressman Seth Moulton campaigned to unseat incumbent Ed Markey, met with prospective voters on Saturday, August 29th 2026, in Wakefield, Massachusetts
He heralded his progressive platform before the vote was even tallied, championing Medicare for All, abolishing ICE and ‘taxing the rich.’
Tuesday’s result also marks the end of another unsuccessful bid for higher office from Moulton, who also ran for Democratic nomination for president during the 2020 cycle, aged just 40 years old at the time.
His long-shot bid ended early in the primary cycle in 2019, after he failed to gain viability in a field that at the time had over 20 candidates.
Incumbents have fallen in other primaries this year – at the hands of progressives.
Three candidates backed by socialist New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani won their primaries in June, among them Brad Lander, who once ran against Mamdani for mayor and who ousted Representatibve Dan Goldman as the congressman sought a third term.
Adriano Espaillat, the 71-year-old chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, was toppled by Mamdani-backed Darializa Avila Chevalier.
In Colorado, 29-year-old Democratic socialist Melat Kiros unseated Diana DeGette after nearly 30 years in Congress.
Republicans face an uphill battle to keep their sweeping power as the November midterm general elections quickly approach.
An exclusive Daily Mail/JL Partners poll in July showed that voters said they’d vote for a Democratic candidate in the upcoming November midterm elections – by nine points.
And even Trump himself has cast doubt on the GOP’s chance at success with concerns about whether conservative voters will show up to vote this fall – especially because he’s not on the ballot.
Despite close races in other states across the country, the US Senate seat in Massachusetts is all but set to remain in Democratic hands. John Deaton, a lawyer and Marine veteran, is the Republican nominee.
