Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., defeated Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., in Tuesday's Massachusetts Democratic Senate primary, securing his party's nomination for a third full term despite facing a younger challenger who made age and generational change central to his campaign.
The Associated Press projected Markey's victory less than an hour after polls closed. Markey, 80, has represented Massachusetts in Congress for nearly five decades, first as a U.S. representative before ascending to the Senate in 2013.
Markey's victory was powered by progressive endorsements and his willingness to stake out positions that many fellow Democrats have avoided, including vocal support for transgender athletes participating in sports aligned with their gender identity.
What the Right Is Saying
Moulton argued that positions like supporting transgender athletes in women's sports had contributed to Democratic losses nationally in 2024. He framed his primary challenge as necessary for party renewal.
"I have two little girls, I don't want them getting run over on a playing field by a male or formerly male athlete, but as a Democrat I'm supposed to be afraid to say that," Moulton said during the campaign, calling for Democrats to take different positions on cultural issues.
Moulton made age a central theme of his campaign, arguing that Massachusetts needed younger voices in the Senate. After his defeat, he issued a statement saying: "Challenging the establishment and calling for a new generation of leadership isn't easy, but it is necessary." He said he would continue to push the party toward generational change.
National Republicans have signaled they will use Markey's position on transgender athletes as a campaign issue in the general election, though Massachusetts has not elected a Republican senator since 2013.
What the Left Is Saying
Markey received backing from prominent progressive leaders including Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., who campaigned alongside him in the final weeks of the race. Markey has also been a lead author on climate legislation, co-sponsoring the Green New Deal resolution.
"Trans athletes should be able to play," Markey told The New York Times. "That reflects Massachusetts and who we are." He argued his position represented the values of Massachusetts voters rather than a departure from mainstream Democratic politics.
Progressive groups celebrated Markey's victory as a sign that progressive bona fides remained potent in Democratic primaries, even against well-funded challengers with military and governing experience. Moulton served four tours in Iraq before entering Congress.
What the Numbers Show
Markey, first elected to Congress in 1976, will be 82 if he serves a full six-year term. He previously defeated another younger challenger, former Rep. Joe Kennedy III, in the 2020 Democratic Senate primary.
Moulton raised approximately $4 million for his campaign compared to Markey's $8.2 million war chest entering the final months of the race. Moulton's congressional district represented portions of Essex County north of Boston.
Massachusetts has not elected a Republican to the Senate since former Sen. Scott Brown lost to Elizabeth Warren in 2013, making November's general election considered safe for Markey regardless of national political winds.
The Bottom Line
Markey's victory demonstrates that progressive positions can still carry Democratic primaries even against well-funded challengers with significant governing experience. It also shows that age alone may not be a disqualifying factor for incumbents in Massachusetts politics.
Republicans are expected to continue highlighting the issue of transgender athletes as a contrast in competitive Senate races nationwide, though it remains unclear how much traction that message will have in deep-blue Massachusetts.
Moulton has not announced whether he will seek another office or return to his previous work. His campaign argued that Democrats need to reckon with cultural positions they argue cost the party votes in battleground states.