Edward Markey defeats Joe Kennedy in Massachusetts' Senate primary
The Kennedy dynasty appeared to have come to the end of the political line last night.
For all but two years since 1947 - nearly a third of the history of the United States - a member of the Kennedy clan has served in elected office.
But Joseph Kennedy III, 39, a grandnephew of John F. Kennedy, crashed to defeat in his bid for a US senate seat.
Mr Kennedy also became the first member of the dynasty to lose a congressional election in the state of Massachusetts.
The sitting congressman was running in a primary race to become the Democrat candidate for a Massachusetts senate seat in the general election on Nov 3.
He was not allowed to be on the ballot as a candidate for both the House and Senate, so will step down as a congressman in January.
Mr Kennedy, the grandson of former US Attorney General Robert Kennedy, had been seen as a rising Democrat star and was part of the family's fourth generation to carry the political torch.
He was defeated by Ed Markey, 74, the incumbent Democrat senator.
With 96 per cent of votes counted Mr Markey was 11 points clear.
Mr Kennedy had been endorsed by Nancy Pelosi, the Democrat speaker of the House, and in 2018 she appointed him to deliver the party's response to Donald Trump's State of the Union speech.
Mr Markey had embraced liberal policies including co-authoring the Green New Deal climate change plan with congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
He was also backed by fellow Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren.
Mr Kennedy said: "To everyone who fought with us. Everyone who stood with us. Everyone who believed in us and gave their sweat and tears and hearts and souls to this fight: Thank you. I am so proud of what we built together.I’d do it with you all again in a heartbeat."
In his victory speech Mr Markey emphasised the urgency of tackling climate change.
He said: "There will be no peace, no justice, no prosperity unless we stop the march to climate destruction. This is a matter of life and death.
Ms Ocasio-Cortez said: "Yours is a victory for the progressive movement, for 21st Century policy, and for the Green New Deal."
Donald Trump wrote on Twitter: "See, even a Kennedy isn’t safe in the new Radical Left Democrat Party. Biden has completely lost control. Pelosi strongly backed the loser!"
