{"id":1581,"date":"2026-05-30T21:03:58","date_gmt":"2026-05-30T21:03:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=1581"},"modified":"2026-05-30T21:03:58","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T21:03:58","slug":"markey-wins-democrats-endorsement-at-party-convention-easily-topping-moulton-in-senate-primary-fight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=1581","title":{"rendered":"Markey wins Democrats\u2019 endorsement at party convention, easily topping Moulton in Senate primary fight"},"content":{"rendered":"
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WORCESTER \u2014 US Senator Ed Markey on Saturday secured an overwhelming endorsement for re-election at the Massachusetts Democratic Party convention, cementing his role as a front-runner against his primary challenger, Representative Seth Moulton, in the state party\u2019s marquee race.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Graham Platner\u2019s wife told campaign of his past explicit texts to other women, according to report<\/a><\/p>\n

The endorsement solidified Markey\u2019s support among party activists as Moulton, 47, has sought to make Markey\u2019s age and seniority a crux of his campaign against the 79-year-old incumbent.<\/span><\/p>\n

Markey, the thrice-elected Malden Democrat, won 73 percent of the vote among thousands of delegates at the DCU Center, compared to Moulton\u2019s 27 percent, according to tallies released by the party. With the showing, Moulton secured enough backing to clear the 15 percent threshold needed to qualify for the primary ballot and avoid an embarrassing stumble ahead of the Sept. 1 vote. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In perhaps his most direct attack on Moulton \u2014 though without naming him directly \u2014 Markey declared that Massachusetts \u201cdeserves better than a senator who scapegoats trans kids.\u201d The comment was an apparent reference to Moulton\u2019s remarks after the 2024 election, in which he took fire from within his party for singling out trans student-athletes as an example of an issue on which the party is closed off to discussing different points of view. <\/span><\/p>\n

The address wasn\u2019t without its awkward moments. Markey\u2019s mic was cut when he went over the allotted 20 minutes for his speech, which was printed in a binder that his wife, after walking onto the stage, physically had to shut in front of Markey before they both left the stage.<\/span><\/p>\n

Markey did not take questions from the press after his speech nor did he mingle long with delegates. His campaign instead sent Dallas Ducar, an executive at Fenway Health and openly transgender activist, to speak with reporters. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSeth has a lot of ambition,\u201d Ducar told the Globe, \u201cbut Markey has stood up consistently for trans lives.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Moulton told reporters he was \u201cproud of the support\u201d he had in the room, but was\u201cjust aiming to get on the ballot.\u201d He said he is more focused on meeting voters during town halls around the state and calling for Markey to agree to more debates against him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not a time to talk about incremental change or to look at the midterms as just a chance to barely scrape by and win back the House,\u201d Moulton told more than 4,000 delegates in attendance during his remarks. \u201cThis is a time for Democrats to go big, to start anew, and to lead with courage.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While the race has consumed the state political class for months, with both candidates making appearances at town halls and rallies, neither candidate has seen a flood of fund-raising befitting a nationally watched race, nor have their campaigns started airing ads on TV.<\/span><\/p>\n

Democratic activists on Saturday also formally backed several statewide incumbents running unopposed: Attorney General Andrea Campbell, state Auditor Diana DiZoglio, and eight-term incumbent Secretary of State William F. Galvin. Neither Campbell nor Galvin received the party\u2019s endorsements in 2022 before topping their primary challengers and later winning in November.<\/span><\/p>\n

On Friday night, attendees formally endorsed Governor Maura Healey, who is also not facing a primary challenger and delivered a roughly 30-minute speech linking the two Republicans vying to unseat her to President Trump.<\/span><\/p>\n

Trump and his administration\u2019s efforts to dramatically reshape the federal government and policy remained an animating force amongDemocrats on Saturday.<\/span><\/p>\n

Moulton referred to Trump as a \u201cmonster\u201d in the White House and said he would go \u201ctoe to toe with the MAGA machine and win.\u201d Markey called the president the \u201ccommander in chief of corruption\u201d and called for him to be removed \u201cnow.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Senator Elizabeth Warren declared Massachusetts Democrats were \u201chere to say to Donald Trump and his monkeys that nobody should have to sell their blood to put food on the table.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Trump vents about judge in Kennedy Center ruling and fumes over his legal setbacks<\/a><\/p>\n

And the crowd erupted in cheers after Campbell declared that she has sued the Trump administration more than 50 times over attempts to block birthright citizenship, defund nutrition benefits, and undo abortion protections. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe took on tyranny before, and we are taking it on right now,\u201d she said. <\/span><\/p>\n

The winner of the Democratic Senate primary will face RepublicanJohn Deaton, a wealthy personal injury lawyer and cryptocurrency advocate who lost to Warren in 2024.<\/span><\/p>\n

Markey\u2019s overwhelming support Saturday comes as he faces another younger opponent making a generational change argument six years after he fended off a challenge from then-US Representative Joe Kennedy III.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s an argument that again has seen limited support: An April Suffolk University\/Boston Globe poll of likely Democratic primary voters found that many said a candidate\u2019s age matters little, if at all, in their vote. And 84 percent of those surveyed said they viewed Markey favorably. <\/span><\/p>\n

Markey\u2019s institutional support was on display even before he took the stage: His introduction video included several members of Congress backing him, including Warren and US Representative Ayanna Pressley. He received what amounted to rock-star treatment in the room, as supporters in pink \u201cOrganize\u201d T-shirts swarmed the floor ahead of his remarks.<\/span><\/p>\n

Moulton, in turn, continued to pressure Markey to participate in at least one more debate against him, and to \u201cshow the country what a strong, vibrant Democratic party looks like.\u201d After the vote, his campaign released a statement questioning \u201cwhy \u2014 or what<\/i> \u2014 is the Senator hiding?” and linked to a story about former President Biden\u2019s disastrous debate performance during the 2024 election. <\/span><\/p>\n

Paul Alfano, a 66-year-old delegate from Bourne, said he is supporting Moulton because he believes \u201cthe time has come for some of the older politicians.\u201d He said he \u201cwasn\u2019t surprised\u201d by the results Saturday, but believes Moulton will perform better in the September primary, in which independent voters and other Democrats beyond the party\u2019s more progressive base can vote.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur party, in general, is very progressive, very liberal,\u201d Alfano said. \u201cThat\u2019s not what Massachusetts is, and I think [Moulton\u2019s] voice in the broader Massachusetts is big and will be part of his campaign, not just the party regulars here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Part of Moulton\u2019s challenge has been getting attention: Many Massachusetts Democrats, even those supporting Moulton or Markey, said they are more focused on competitive races in swing states that will determine which party controls the US House and Senate \u2014 and potentially check the Trump presidency \u2014 come November.<\/span><\/p>\n

Leonard Paolillo, an 82-year-old delegate from Brookline, said he planned to support Markey, citing his past work on environment issues and the junior senator\u2019s endorsement from Warren, whom he said he admires. But he said his primary concern is retaking control of Congress in the fall, declaring that currently, \u201cwe\u2019re in crisis.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe problem is, we have it pretty good in Massachusetts. Now people in Massachusetts are trying to help people in other states by donating, making phone calls, especially for the senators that are running on the [Democratic]ticket,\u201d Paolillo said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Party delegates on Saturday cast paper ballots, which were tabulated in a separate counting room, ditching the app-based system the party used in 2022 that created confusion.<\/span><\/p>\n

Voting went relatively smoothly this time, particularly compared to the state Republican Party\u2019s convention at the same venue last month, when vote counting was delayed so long that the party\u2019s endorsed gubernatorial candidate, Mike Minogue, paid for bar tabs for attendees.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Capitol rioters clamor for payouts from Trump\u2019s new \u2018anti-weaponization\u2019 fund despite backlash<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

US Senator Ed Markey secured an overwhelming endorsement for re-election at the Massachusetts Democratic Party convention against his primary challenger, Representative Seth Moulton.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1580,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1581","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"\nMarkey wins Democrats\u2019 endorsement at party convention, easily topping Moulton in Senate primary fight - Boston Relocation Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=1581\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Markey wins Democrats\u2019 endorsement at party convention, easily topping Moulton in Senate primary fight - 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