Newsweek, August 2026
Senator Ed Markey led Representative Seth Moulton in two new polls of the Democratic Senate primary in Massachusetts, as the longtime incumbent seeks to hold off another generational challenge. An anti-incumbent wave has swept through the Democratic primaries ahead of the midterms, with several longtime members of Congress losing to political newcomers. Markey, 80, has drawn a challenge from Moulton, 47, who has argued it is time for new leadership in the Bay State.
Democrats have been confronting questions about the age of some of their top politicians over the past few years. Those calls grew after backlash over former President Joe Biden’s decision to run for a second term despite age concerns that grew after a debate against President Donald Trump in June 2024 that eventually led to his withdrawal. The debate was seen as a pivotal turning point in the election that boosted Trump’s campaign to return to the White House.
