Rep. Seth Moulton launches Democratic primary challenge against Sen. Ed Markey

BOSTON AP U S Rep Seth Moulton a moderate Massachusetts Democrat commented Wednesday that he will challenge U S Sen Edward Markey for the Democratic nomination in next year s Senate race arguing it s time for the party to embrace a new generation of leadership The announcement makes the race one of the the greater part anticipated primary contests in the country and pits two of the heavily Democratic state s top politicians against one another Markey who fended off a challenge in from Rep Joe Kennedy III in the Senate primary would be before his third six-year term would begin In a video accompanying his announcement Moulton announced the Democratic Party was stuck in the status quo and isn t fighting hard enough Without naming former President Joe Biden Moulton referenced the presidential voting process when worries about Biden s age and ability led to his departure from the race months before Referendum Day The move and Donald Trump s subsequent mastery reignited concerns among Democrats that the party s leaders were too old and no longer best positioned to win We re in situation and with everything we learned last electoral process I just don t believe Sen Markey should be running for another six-year term at years old Moulton declared in the video Even more I don t think someone who s been in Congress for half a century is the right person to meet this moment and win the future Moulton who enlisted in the Marines after the attacks and served four tours of duty in Iraq was first elected to the U S House of Representatives in Last year he ran unopposed In his announcement Moulton stated he would be focusing his campaign on issues ranging from affordability strength care banning assault weapons and protecting democracy The next generation will keep paying the cost if we don t change class he mentioned This isn t a fight we can put off for another six years The future we all believe in is on the line After Democrats lost the White House and both houses of Congress last year Moulton caught flak from a few members of his party for saying he didn t want his daughters playing in sports against transgender girls Critics reported Moulton echoed Trump s talking points against allowing transgender athletes in girls and women s sports I think that Republicans have a hateful position on trans issues Moulton communicated The Associated Press last year but he insisted that Democrats still lose voters because of the party s attitude Markey for his part has been here before He faced a hard-fought challenge from Kennedy in He turned to his progressive allies to overcome a challenge from a younger rival from America s largest part famous political family During that race Markey appealed to voters in the deeply Democratic state by positioning himself as aligned with the liberal wing of the party He teamed up with a leading progressive New York Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on the Green New Deal surroundings change initiative and at one point labeled Kennedy a progressive in name only Markey who was first elected to Congress in mentioned in an interview last year on WCVB-TV that he was this greater part energized he has ever been and disclosed he would run again He argued that it wasn t his age but the age of his ideas adding that I ve constantly been the youngest guy in the room