Markey cuts Kennedy coattails

In the deep blue state of Massachusetts, incumbent Sen. Ed Markey defeated U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy III in Tuesday’s Democratic primary, ending a battle that divided some of the biggest players in the party. Kennedy, the grandson of former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, became the first member of his famed family to lose a primary or general election race in the state.

“The senator is a good man,” Kennedy said in his concession speech, adding he would support Markey’s reelection effort.

Markey, 74, trailed in early polling against the 39-year-old Kennedy, whose candidacy initially sparked excitement. But the older incumbent won over the party’s young progressives by backing “Medicare for All” and co-authoring the Green New Deal with U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.

“There will be no peace, no justice, and no prosperity unless we stop the march to climate destruction,” Markey said in his victory speech.

Markey had the backing of Ocasio-Cortez and fellow Massachusetts Democrat, Sen. Elizabeth Warren. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.—who served with Markey in the House for 26 years—endorsed Kennedy, saying America needed his “courage and leadership.”

Markey painted Kennedy as a moderate with no concrete policy plans, while Kennedy hit Markey for voting for the Iraq War and the 1994 crime bill that many say disproportionately affected minority communities.

With 99 percent of the votes counted, Markey led by nearly 11 percentage points. The Kennedy family had previously gone 26-0 in Massachusetts primary contests.

In November, Markey will face heavy underdog and Republican nominee Kevin O’Connor, an attorney with no previous political experience. The GOP has only won one U.S. Senate race in Massachusetts since 1972: In 2010, Scott Brown won in a special election but lost his bid for a full term to Warren in 2012.