Massachusetts primaries test Democratic appetite for generational change
WASHINGTON, Sept 1 (Reuters) – Generational change is on the ballot in Massachusetts on Tuesday as Democratic voters choose whether to renominate 80-year-old progressive U.S. Senator Ed Markey or replace him on the ballot with 47-year-old U.S. Representative Seth Moulton.
Markey, who has served in Congress for nearly 50 years, is backed by leading progressives such as Senator Bernie Sanders and U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, as well as most members of the state’s congressional delegation, including U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren.
No members of the delegation have endorsed Moulton, a moderate U.S. Marine Corps veteran whose supporters include New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill and the Democratic organization VoteVets. The Boston Globe’s editorial board is also behind Moulton, casting him as a necessary agent of change with “proven leadership skills” and positions on key issues that align with most voters.
Markey has a nearly $2 million fundraising advantage over Moulton, and Markey has led in recent polls by a double-digit margin. The primary winner is heavily favored to win in November. Democrat Kamala Harris carried the state by nearly 25 percentage points in 2024.
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A similar generational challenge is playing out in the Boston area, where moderate U.S. Representative Stephen Lynch, 71, is facing progressive attorney Patrick Roath, 39.
The Boston Globe’s editorial board endorsed Roath, writing that the younger candidate “gives every indication he can do better, think bigger, and aim higher as a member of Congress” than Lynch, whom the editorial board referred to as “backbench representation.”
Roath has outraised Lynch, $1.3 million to $910,000, and he has closed in on the incumbent in polling. A survey conducted for Leaders We Deserve, a group that has endorsed Roath, found Lynch’s lead had fallen to seven percentage points. A February poll conducted for Roath showed him trailing Lynch by 26 points.
Lynch was reelected in 2024 by a 50-point margin, but Democratic voters across the country this year have often backed younger, more progressive candidates, leading to the ouster of incumbents from states such as New York, Colorado and Michigan.
Democrats hold all nine of Massachusetts’ House seats and both Senate seats. The winner of the 8th Congressional District primary will be heavily favored to win in November.
