Veteran Democrats Defeat Younger Challengers in Massachusetts Primary Elections

US Senator Edward Markey of Massachusetts reacted with his wife Susan Blumenthal after winning the Democratic nomination during primary elections. Veteran Democrats defeated younger challengers in Massachusetts’s primary elections on Tuesday, with Senator Ed Markey beating Representative Seth Moulton for the Democratic nomination. Long-serving representatives Stephen Lynch and Richard Neal also won their races.

Veteran Democrats survived challenges from Tuesday’s primaries across several of Massachusetts’s longest-serving positions. Senator Ed Markey, 80, defeated 47-year-old Representative Seth Moulton to secure the Democratic nomination, and similar challenges failed in the House. Representative Stephen Lynch, 71, who has held his seat since 2001, defeated 39-year-old progressive lawyer Patrick Roath in the 8th Congressional District. In the 1st District, 77-year-old Representative Richard Neal, first elected to Congress in 1988, defeated 39-year-old public school teacher Jeromie Whalen. All three will now advance to November, with Democrats heavily favoured in Massachusetts.

Markey campaigned successfully despite questions regarding his age. Moulton campaigned on the need for a new generation of political leadership, but Markey ran as the more progressive candidate with backing from prominent figures on the Democratic left, including Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and independent Senator Bernie Sanders. Markey also had the backing of Senator Elizabeth Warren and other members of the state’s congressional delegation, while no member of the delegation endorsed Moulton. Moulton, a Marine veteran who ran as the more moderate alternative, received support from groups including VoteVets and New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill.

Markey also repeatedly attacked Moulton over his comments questioning transgender girls’ participation in girls’ sports. Moulton later apologised and said he supported the transgender community, but Markey continued to raise the issue during the campaign. The opposite dynamic played out in the 8th District, where the younger Roath unsuccessfully challenged Lynch from the left, showing that age and ideology did not necessarily go hand in hand in Massachusetts. In a concession speech, Moulton said he would now support Markey.

While younger challengers failed to defeat the state’s veteran Democrats, some still mounted competitive campaigns. Roath raised about $1.3m compared with roughly $910,000 for Lynch and narrowed the gap significantly during the campaign before ultimately falling short. Whalen also challenged Neal from the left in the 1st District, campaigning on progressive policies including Medicare for All, but fell short against the veteran congressman.

The Massachusetts results differed from several Democratic primaries elsewhere in the country where younger progressive candidates defeated long-serving politicians, such as in Connecticut, Colorado, and New York. In Massachusetts, however, all three major challenges to long-serving lawmakers failed, demonstrating the strength of long-serving politicians regardless of whether their challengers came from the centre or the left.

Former Biden White House aide Dan Koh won the Democratic primary for Massachusetts’s 6th Congressional District, the seat being vacated by Seth Moulton as he ran for Senate. Koh was endorsed by former President Joe Biden, former Vice President Kamala Harris, and former Labor Secretary and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, and will now head into November as the favourite to win the heavily Democratic district.

In heavily Democratic Massachusetts, the primaries may prove to be the biggest electoral hurdle. Markey will face Republican John Deaton, who ran unopposed in his primary on Tuesday, while Democratic nominees in several House districts also head into November as heavy favourites.