Massachusetts Democratic Politics Lost Its Mind Over the Weekend
COMMONWEALTH—A point of personal privilege—Democratic politics here in the Commonwealth (God save it!) lost a bit of its mind over the weekend. The New York Times tells us that Rep. Joe Kennedy, who happens to be my congressman, not that it matters, is seriously considering a primary challenge to incumbent Senator Edward Markey.
A contest between the two Massachusetts lawmakers could become the nation’s most high-profile primary race and would represent another test of the Democratic Party’s old guard. And while Mr. Kennedy and Mr. Markey are both committed progressives, the race would amount to a generational showdown between a scion of the state’s most famous family and a more than four-decade-long fixture of Massachusetts politics. On Saturday, a spokeswoman for Mr. Kennedy, Emily Kaufman, said that “right now” the congressman is seeking re-election. But, pointing to efforts at nudging him into the Senate race, she added, “He’s grateful for the recent show of support from folks across Massachusetts.”
The template, of course, is Rep. Ayanna Pressley's successful primary campaign against incumbent Rep. Michael Capuano last fall. However, it can be argued—and, Lord knows, it was—that Pressley is a better fit for a congressional district that underwent profound demographic changes in the years in which it was represented by Capuano. A Kennedy challenge to Markey would make far less sense. Its primary issue would be that Ed Markey is old and Joe Kennedy isn't.
The problem with that is that Markey's entire career in Congress, in both the House and the Senate, has been highlighted by his ability to see issues coming from a great distance down the road. He was an early voice warning about the climate crisis. He also was far out in front on the challenges presented to the communications industries by the new technologies. (Nobody fought harder in Congress for net neutrality.) Markey may be old, but his issues aren't.
It's easy to understand Kennedy's frustrations. The Commonwealth (God save it!) has a talent glut on the Democratic side. Both Kennedy and Pressley clearly have national ambitions, and Attorney General Maura Healey is a formidable pol with a solid power base of her own. If Senator Professor Warren gets elected president, then the logjam would clear somewhat. Short of that, however, Markey is the target of opportunity for anyone trying to move up and out. And a Kennedy-Markey primary fight would blot out the sky in terms of coverage and money, both of which might be better used elsewhere in the Democratic effort to make Mitch McConnell a civilian again. There is no good policy reason I can see to vote for Joe Kennedy over Ed Markey. Everything else is smoke.
Respond to this post on the Esquire Politics Facebook Page here.
You Might Also Like
