Markey wins endorsement as Moulton clears ballot threshold

Markey wins – U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton cleared Massachusetts Democratic Party rules to get his name on the Sept. 1 Senate primary ballot, winning nearly 27% of delegates’ support in the party’s endorsement vote. But incumbent Sen. Ed Markey captured the party’s endorsement wi

WORCESTER, Mass. — Rep. Seth Moulton didn’t leave Saturday empty-handed. He earned enough delegate support to clear a Massachusetts Democratic Party ballot requirement and continue his Senate bid against incumbent U.S. Sen. Ed Markey.

But when the numbers were tallied among more than 4,000 delegates, it was Markey who carried the day for the party’s endorsement.

Markey won nearly 73% of the delegates’ support, while Moulton won nearly 27% of the vote. The party’s rules require statewide candidates to receive at least 15% of delegate support to appear on the primary ballot.

Massachusetts is overwhelmingly Democratic, and this Senate primary has drawn national attention because of what it represents inside the party. Moulton. 47. has built his campaign around changing the status quo and pushing what he describes as a generational shift in leadership. Markey. if reelected. would be 80 before his third six-year term begins. and concerns about age have continued to surface as Democratic candidates argue over who should lead the party forward.

Standing before more than 4,000 delegates, Markey framed the choice as one about demands and direction. “You have a choice, you have to decide what the future looks like and what you’re going to demand,” Markey said Saturday.

In his nomination speech, Moulton argued that the Democratic Party needed more than incremental movement. He said the party needed to begin anew, telling delegates, “It’s time for the generation that grew up with the internet, and will have to live for decades with AI, to lead our way through it.”

Moulton addressed Markey only briefly during the speech. He offered a passing nod to not waiting another six years for generational change. then called on Markey to participate in multiple debates before the September primary. The two candidates have agreed to take part in one debate later this summer.

Markey’s approach in the endorsement moment was sharper. He attacked Moulton’s previous comments about transgender kids and Moulton’s acceptance of corporate PAC money.

“Massachusetts deserves better than a senator who scapegoats trans kids,” Markey said to loud cheers.

In 2024, Moulton faced criticism from some within his own party after saying he didn’t want his daughters playing in sports against transgender girls. Critics said the comments echoed former President Donald Trump’s talking points about transgender athletes in girls’ and women’s sports.

Moulton later said his intent with that statement “was to point out that, as a party, we need to be willing to have difficult conversations.”

The two candidates’ backgrounds are notably different. Moulton enlisted in the Marines after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and served four tours of duty in Iraq. He was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2014, and he briefly launched a 2020 presidential campaign before dropping out after a few months.

Markey, by contrast, served as a Massachusetts congressman for nearly 40 years before winning the Senate seat in 2013. In 2020, he faced a Senate primary challenge from Rep. Joe Kennedy III and relied on his progressive allies to overcome a challenge from a younger rival from America’s most famous political family.

The sequence of Saturday’s party action is stark: Moulton cleared the delegate threshold to keep his Senate campaign on the primary ballot. but Markey’s delegate majority ensured the endorsement would stay with the incumbent—leaving Moulton to fight for momentum in the race that matters most to voters.

The Massachusetts primary is Sept. 1.

Massachusetts Democratic Party Ed Markey Seth Moulton Senate primary endorsement vote delegates Sept. 1