Markey, an 80-year-old progressive, staved off a challenge by Rep. Seth Moulton, a 47-year-old member of the moderate New Democrat Coalition.
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Markey defeats Moulton by landslide as establishment flexes, progressive win called playbook rerun
The Massachusetts Democratic primary was billed as a showdown between the old guard and the progressive insurgency, but the receipts show the establishment flexed its muscle and delivered Markey a landslide. The headlines call it 'a testament to the power of the progressive movement,' but the insiders keep the wheel. The press, never shy to frame a win as a rerun, points to the playbook: the same faces, the same scripts, and the same results. The winners are projected, the progressive energy is cheerleaded, and the establishment keeps its grip. When the party bosses say the system works, what they mean is it works for them. The media makes it sound like change is coming, but the fold says the script hasn't changed since your union vanished. The stakes are high for voters hoping for new faces, but the receipts show the party likes the faces it knows. If the movement's win is a rerun, who's writing the playbook?
“When the party bosses say the system works, what they mean is it works for them. Markey wins in a landslide, and the 'progressive movement' gets paraded out for the cameras, right before the same old insiders take their turn at the wheel. The media calls it a rerun, but the script hasn't changed since your union vanished.”
“Look, it's a testament to the vibrancy of our democracy that the establishment can maintain order against insurgent elements. The progressive movement is energetic, but maintaining stability is important. I mean, I never said progressives weren't part of the playbook, just that sometimes we need to stick to what works—did I say that? Maybe I'm misremembering the definition of 'landslide.'”
The receipts
NBC News’ Steve Kornacki breaks down numbers in the Democratic primary races in Massachusetts including U.S. Senate and House Districts 8 and 1.
Progressive US Sen. Ed Markey, a champion of Medicare for All and the Green New Deal, decisively fended off a Democratic primary challenge from his right on Tuesday, defeating Rep. Seth Moulton by nearly 30 percentage points in a contest that focused heavily on the incumbent senator's age.
Hasan Piker celebrated Ed Markey's Massachusetts primary win over Seth Moulton, calling it proof that progressive policies and trans rights are winning.
Massachusetts Democrats rewarded Ed Markey, 80, over Seth Moulton in a generational clash after Moulton urged the party to "pass the torch."
Incumbent Sen. Ed Markey has won the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in Massachusetts.
Climate activists and groups like Public Citizen and the Sierra Club are fueling data center opposition across the United States with progressive funding.
This page is a back-issue: the story as it ran, receipts as they were. The current edition is at the front.