The race centered on whether Markey, 80, was too old to serve a third term in the Senate. The longtime liberal stalwart will be 86 by the end of his next term.
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80-year-old Democrat defeats challenger, wins rare old guard victory as party debates trans athletes
Born in the era of typewriters and survived by a party that still can’t decide if it’s running on policy or identity, the 80-year-old incumbent secures a rare win for the old guard. The challenge from a younger rival, built around the issue of trans athletes, met its end at the ballot box, and the generational torch remains, for now, in the hands of those who remember rotary phones. This column has seen the party’s wheel spin through many such contests, each with its own penny-ante drama and the same malarkey about 'change.' The ledger, this time, reads as follows: experience beats youth, the debate over trans athletes is the show, and the new blood—well, they’ll have their turn in the next round, if the old guard doesn’t call for a rain check. Preceded in death by several norms about age limits and fresh faces, survived by a party still negotiating its future. In lieu of flowers, send a copy of the voting record to the committee on generational change.
“All right, so the party's headline act is the octogenarian who runs on trans athletes and beats the kid. The old guard keeps the seat, but the fight’s just moved to the locker room. Looks like the future’s still waiting in the hallway.”
“Age is just a number, and experience matters! If anything, this proves the voters want stability. Did I say 'rare'? It’s not rare, it’s tradition—wait, is it tradition? I mean, who doesn’t support... Wait, I meant, the party is vibrant and diverse, obviously.”
The receipts
Ed Markey defeated Seth Moulton's generational change campaign by leaning into progressive credentials and taking a bold stance on transgender rights in sports.
Markey’s win is a rare victory for the old guard
This page is a back-issue: the story as it ran, receipts as they were. The current edition is at the front.