The Kennedy family had controlled a Massachusetts seat in the U.S. Senate for more than five decades, and now they’d like it back.
But incumbent Ed Markey isn’t planning to let them have it.
Markey, 73, is running for his second term in the Senate and is lining up a list of key supporters in the Bay State ahead of a potential primary challenge from Rep. Joe Kennedy III, a grandson of the late Robert F. Kennedy and a fellow Democrat.
Markey this week released a list of 116 current state lawmakers who are backing his reelection, including Senate President Karen Spilka and House Speaker Robert DeLeo.
“I am humbled to have the support of so many friends and colleagues across Massachusetts for reelection, and I pledge to fight for them and all communities in the Commonwealth every day,” Markey, who has held the seat since 2013, said in a statement.
Markey’s preemptive strike against Kennedy followed the much younger lawmaker’s move this month to form an exploratory committee to examine whether to challenge Markey for the Democratic spot on the November 2020 ballot.
Kennedy, 38, announced on Facebook last week that he’s thinking about running for the Senate seat, and while he has not made up his mind, he won’t back down because of Markey’s incumbency.
“I hear the folks who say I should wait my turn, but with due respect — I’m not sure this is a moment for waiting,” Kennedy wrote. “Our system has been letting down a lot of people for a long time, and we can’t fix it if we don’t challenge it. I’ve got some ideas on how to do that. And I don’t think our democratic process promises anyone a turn. What it does promise is the chance for anyone to earn it — if we think we have something to offer and are willing to put ourselves and our ideas out there.”
Supporters on Kennedy’s Facebook page were thrilled with the news, urging Kennedy to run for the seat and serving as a reminder that New England has not lost its love of the Kennedy dynasty, despite some rough patches over the years.
[Also read: Sen. Ed Markey campaign aide apologizes after mocking mental health of Kennedy family]
Ted Kennedy held a seat in the U.S. Senate from 1962 until his death in 2009. Kennedy succeeded his older brother John, who was first elected in 1952 and left the Senate when he won the presidency. Joe Kennedy III was elected to the House in 2012. His father, Joe Kennedy II, served in the U.S. House from 1987 until 1999.
“You come from a family of great courage and strength, something the people need to see in these times,” one Maine resident wrote to Joe Kennedy III on Facebook last week. “RUN!”
University of Virginia political science professor Larry Sabato told the Washington Examiner Markey isn’t the strongest incumbent, in part because he has operated as a mostly low-profile lawmaker. Sabato said he could face trouble in a face-off with a Kennedy, and in particular Joe Kennedy, who is charismatic and popular.
“It’s almost a royal family, and this Kennedy is very talented,” Sabato noted.
Massachusetts voters may love the Kennedys, but they might not be ready to dump Markey, in part because the two liberal lawmakers are very closely aligned politically and Markey has been a staunch Senate advocate for progressive causes backed by Bay State voters.
He was the first senator to co-sponsor star freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal, which would require a significant overhaul of the economy to eliminate carbon emissions in the United States.
His voting record is one of the most solidly progressive in the Senate.
“As a fan of your energy, optimism and leadership, I’m failing to see how you would be an improvement over Ed Markey,” Boston resident Missy Sikorski wrote to Kennedy on Facebook.
In his most recent statement to supporters, Markey highlighted his progressive record and his plans to push those issues, including universal healthcare, paid sick leave, and legislation addressing equal rights, in a second term.
“I want to continue leading those fights in the United States Senate,” Markey said Tuesday.
Craig Altemose, executive director of the anti-fossil fuel activist group Better Future Project, is supporting Markey and told the Washington Examiner Kennedy will have a hard time peeling away support from other progressive groups and progressive voters whose causes Markey has championed while in office.
Before winning the Senate seat in a 2013 special election, Markey served in the U.S. House for 37 years, where he advocated for environmental reforms that would eliminate fossil fuels.
“While Kennedy has a well-regarded personal and family reputation, Sen. Markey has earned the passionate support of the progressive community and will be a hard man to take down,” Altemose told the Washington Examiner.
There are no public polls yet showing who voters might prefer in a Kennedy-Markey primary, but the last election demonstrated veteran Massachusetts incumbents are not safe from primary challenges, particularly those from younger candidates.
Rep. Ayanna Pressley, 45, defeated fellow progressive and 10-term Rep. Michael Capuano, 67, in the 2018 Democratic primary for the state’s 7th District seat.
Political analyst Ron Faucheux pointed out that the Kennedys have a long history of challenging incumbents. John F. Kennedy defeated Republican incumbent Henry Cabot Lodge to win the Senate seat in 1952, while Joe Kennedy’s grandfather, Robert, and great-uncle, Ted, challenged presidential incumbents in their own party.
“This is classic Kennedy,” Faucheux told the Washington Examiner. ”The charismatic young guy takes on the well-worn incumbent. It sets the stage for a big, well-watched race.”
Sabato said Kennedy may be eyeing higher office, and eliminating Markey is a step along the way.
“This is a gamble for him,” Sabato said. “But you can see the trajectory. If he defeats Markey in the primary, then he could run for president in 2024, should Trump be reelected, or 2028, if a Democrat wins in 2020. Or he could run in a later year, given his youth.”
Even in Massachusetts, it’s hard to torpedo an incumbent, Sabato warned.
“On the other hand,” He added, “Markey isn’t an especially visible or strong incumbent, and the challenger is a Kennedy in Massachusetts.”
