Massachusetts progressive Markey, a longtime Israel critic, expected to rout centrist challenger
Although polls project that Markey, a progressive stalwart, will retain his seat, this race began as a neck-and-neck battle between the old and new guard.
Sen. Ed Markey, the incumbent and long-time critic of Israel, is poised to easily win re-election to a third term in the Massachusetts Democratic Senate primary against his younger, more centrist challenger, Rep. Seth Moulton. Although polls currently indicate Markey will maintain his seat, the race was initially quite close. Moulton, at 47, began the primary as the more moderate candidate, but recent shifts in voter support have put him behind Markey by double digits, with Markey leading by as much as 30 percentage points.
Markey's long tenure in Congress since the 1970s has given him a strong base of progressive support, while Moulton has attempted to distance himself from AIPAC and Israel's government, but this move has not translated into significant gains in the polls.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
