Rep. Joe Kennedy III may end up regretting his decision to abandon his safe seat in Congress to pursue an insurgent campaign against Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts.
Members of his party have lined up to back Markey.
Alexander Bolton writes at The Hill:
Democrats unifying against Joe Kennedy Senate bidSenate Democrats are nearly united in their opposition to Rep. Joe Kennedy III (D-Mass.), the scion of their party’s most fabled family, in his bid to unseat Sen. Ed Markey (D).Kennedy, a 39-year-old graduate of Harvard Law School, is putting his political career on the line by taking on a Democratic incumbent who has been a fixture in Congress since 1976. His campaign also marks the best hope of putting a Kennedy back in the Senate or White House in the foreseeable future.The Kennedy name has captivated Democrats going back 60 years, when John F. Kennedy ushered in the era of Camelot by winning the 1960 presidential election.But it seems that magic is starting to wear off 10 years after the last Kennedy to hold a Senate seat, Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), died while in office…Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) Chairwoman Catherine Cortez Masto (Nev.) are solidly behind Markey.“We’ve endorsed him publicly. We will be there to work with him and his team to ensure that they have the resources they need to get his message out,” said Masto. “The state in general knows he’s a progressive and a fighter on so many issues. He’s taken a lead on net neutrality and climate change, on so many important issues that matter to his constituents.”
It’s not just Schumer who is coming to Markey’s defense. The list of people backing Markey reads like a whos-who of Democrat legislators.
Christian M. Wade writes at The Salem News:
Democrats divided over Markey-Kennedy raceSo far, Markey appears to be leading in the endorsement race, with his reelection bid picking up nods from Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, state Senate President Karen Spilka, D-Ashland, state House Speaker Robert DeLeo, D-Winthrop, and State Auditor Suzanne Bump, among others.To be sure, Markey’s campaign has touted a list of more than 100 current state senators and representatives who have endorsed his re-election bid.They include many of the lawmakers who represent the north of Boston region — including Sens. Joan Lovely, D-Salem, Barry Finegold, D-Andover, and Reps. Linda Campbell, D-Methuen, Paul Tucker, D-Salem, Frank Moran, D-Lawrence, Lori Ehrlich, D-Marblehead, and Tom Walsh, D-Peabody.Lovely said she has collaborated with Markey over the years on legislative and constituent-related issues and has developed a good working relationship.“I’m not opposed to Joe Kennedy — I really don’t know him — but I have to go with my experience and what I know,” she said. “A big piece of what we do as legislators is dealing with people who call for help, and Sen. Markey and his office have been extremely responsive to my constituents.”
Kennedy is taking a huge risk here because it’s not like he can go back if he fails. There are already six people competing to take his place in Congress.
Darren Sands reports at BuzzFeed:
Ayanna Pressley Has Endorsed In The Crowded House Race To Replace Joe Kennedy IIIMassachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley is endorsing against a House Democratic colleague and in her state’s crowded Democratic primary to succeed Rep. Joe Kennedy III.Pressley on Tuesday announced she intends to support Jesse Mermell, a progressive activist, in the crowded race to replace Kennedy, who is running for Senate. Mermell is a former nonprofit administrator who served as a top aide to former Gov. Deval L. Patrick.The move makes good on Pressley’s promise to enter the political fray ahead of the 2020 elections, while immediately changing the landscape of what is shaping up to be one of the more hotly contested House Democratic primaries in the country. The seat became open when Kennedy, who has held the seat since 2012, announced he would challenge Sen. Ed Markey. All told, there are six candidates running for Kennedy’s seat.
Perhaps the most stinging part of this story is coming from AOC. Kennedy is working with Joe Crowley, the Democrat Ocasio-Cortez beat in 2018, and she is now using her influence against Kennedy.
Kennedy could still surprise everyone and pull this off, but he is fighting an uphill battle. He would have been wise to wait a little longer.
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