Massachusetts Democrats vote Tuesday in a Senate primary that runs against the pattern of the party’s other contested races this year.
In New York and elsewhere this cycle, younger challengers unseated incumbents by running to their left. In Massachusetts, the older candidate holds the stronger claim on the party’s progressive wing.
Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), who turned 80 in July, was the Senate sponsor of the Green New Deal alongside Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). His challenger, Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), 47, is running on generational turnover rather than a move to the left.
Markey’s endorsements track that split. Ocasio-Cortez is backing him, as are Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). A majority of delegates to the state party convention in May voted to endorse him, though Moulton drew enough support to qualify for the ballot. …