How Ed Markey may survive Seth Moulton’s generational challenge

Politico.com ^

[DIRTYSECRET]

The 80-year-old junior senator from Massachusetts is facing a primary challenge from a representative who wasn’t alive when he was first elected to Congress.

Recent surveys show the senator with a 15-to-35-point lead.

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TOPICS: Chit/Chat
KEYWORDS: edmarkey; massachusetts; sethmoulton

[DIRTYSECRET]

This will help us just a little. He beat a Kennedy last time and cut the family down a notch. Shows the establishment conflicts will stay with them even though the challenger Mouton is 'moderate'(far left). At his age the seat will have to be addressed again rather than turned over to the younger fella for 2+ terms. Voters don't seem to take age into consideration and there's too many old geezers in place. Let the democrats inner conflicts continue.

[Gay State Conservative]

This filthy Maoist fossil is spending serious $$$ on ads in the state. As is almost always the case in this state (99.9% of the time) the worst candidate will prevail today...and in November.

[TornadoAlley3]

The old man will lose. Geriatric establishment after Biden are unpopular in both parties

[DIRTYSECRET]

The conditions were the same when Joe Kennedy challenged him and the geriatric was a 74 year-old. Bigger name couldn’t take him out. The family can thank Trump for keeping them in the news. You never know. Think of the underwear model who took over the swimmer’s seat after 36 years.

I know this is small potatoes but it doesn’t hurt to be amused at what the democrats are going through.

[allendale]

If not for Patty Murray of Washington, Ed Markey would be the dumbest person in the US Senate.

[Miami Rebel]

He’s beating Moulton by a country mile in the polls.

Here’s what I found:

Markey led the latest Emerson College poll by 31 points, 60 percent to 33 percent. It surveyed 550 likely voters from August 28 to 29, 2026 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.

It marks a surge in Markey’s support compared to May, when he led an Emerson poll by only 5 points, 37 percent to 32 percent, suggesting previously undecided voters have backed the incumbent. Only 7 percent of voters were undecided in the new poll, down from 29 percent in May.

A poll from the University of Massachusetts Amherst similarly showed Markey leading Moulton. It showed Markey with support from 60 percent of respondents compared to Moulton’s 32 percent. It surveyed 445 self-identified Democratic primary voters from August 5 to 12, 2026, and had a margin of error of plus or minus 5.8 percentage points among Democratic voters.

[PTBAA]

Markey is an out-in-out Communist. Regardless of the primary outcome, the seat is owned by the Democrat party.

I think it would be better to have the young lunatic win, he can’t do any more damage than Markey and letting him speak often on the national stage often will help the conservative cause.

[Blurb2350]

“. . . 80-year-old junior senator”

[Capn Hayek]

I think MA is a semi-open primary - and there’s only one R candidate. Would love to see the seat be at least competitive, but let’s be real. It won’t be.

If I were a conservative in Massachusetts? I’d take a blue ballot and vote for Moulton. Low bar, but he’s miles better than Markey.

[ek_hornbeck]

I have no doubt that Moulton's voting patterns would be as bad as Markey's, and that regardless of who the nominee is Massachusetts will send a Democrat to the Senate.

However, I would like to see Moulton win just to chip away at our Gerontocracy. Regardless of party, I'm tired of being ruled by 80-somethings.

[KC_Conspirator]

Which guy is the less scumbaggy?

[DIRTYSECRET]

The one that’s closest to croaking even if he isn’t.

[ek_hornbeck]

I'm surprised that even lackluster "conservatives" like Mitt Romney and Bill Weld could have ever been elected in Massachusetts, where the choice is usually one of left versus far left.

I have to admit that (not living in MA) I haven't followed Moulton's policies very closely, Democrats seem to mostly vote lockstep in the Senate, so in that regard he'd probably be not much different from Markey. But I agree that I would vote for him in an open primary just so that we get some people under the age of 80 in the Federal government again.

[Capn Hayek]

I’m not very familiar with Moulton either.

I just know one of my daughter’s friends is basically a socialist from Boston (though, she claims she isn’t!) and just overhearing a conversation with her recently?

The DSA types do NOT like Moulton, so seems like a no-brainer to me ;-)

[ek_hornbeck]

The DSA types do NOT like Moulton

Perhaps he's an old-school liberal rather than a "progressive" - not great, but not nearly as malignant either.

[DPMD]

80 and running again; still not rich enough?

These fossils who refuse to leave office must have absolutely nothing going for them in their outside lives, even despite their personal fortunes from “public service.”