Joe Kennedy III Becomes First ‘Kennedy’ To Lose A Race In Massachusetts As Ed Markey Triumphs In Close-Fought Dem Primary

Joe Kennedy III Becomes First ‘Kennedy’ To Lose A Race In Massachusetts As Ed Markey Triumphs In Close-Fought Dem Primary

Tyler Durden

Tue, 09/01/2020 – 21:45

As expected, the candidate with the best memes has carried the day.

Sen. Ed Markey, best known outside Massachusetts as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s partner in the Senate – the pair co-sponsored the Green New Deal, which Biden has embraced  – has triumphed over Joe Kennedy III in a hotly contested Democratic primary. The race was remarkable for several reasons: Markey, the incumbent, and a longtime Congressman, became the ‘outsider’ candidate, while his challenger, the 39-year-old scion of the legendary Kennedy political family, was painted as the incumbent.

When Kennedy first announced his candidacy last September, it provoked speculation that Markey might decide to retire rather than risk what many felt would be an inevitable victory in favor of Kennedy III.

Apparently, these pundits had never seen that clip of Kennedy drooling all over himself while delivering the rebuttal to President Trump’s 2018 state of the union.

This, along with conservative positions like his skepticism of legalized marijuana – now an institution in Massachusetts – helped Markey capture the sympathies of the liberals and the energetic young grassroots, thanks in large part to the help of AOC.

Turns out, Markey was the first Senator to invite her to the Senate dining room after her primary victory over Joe Crowley. That meeting led to what has been a successful political partnership.

In a piece published Tuesday, the Washington Post said: “there are Markey clubs at every major college, Markey memes splattered across social media and phone banks around the country organized by the Sunrise Movement, the youth climate-change activists who coined the Green New Deal shortly before Markey endorsed it.”

A few minutes ago, Cook Political Report editor Dave Wasserman officially called the race for Markey, who entered the day with a slight edge in the polls.

As one veteran reporter pointed out, Markey’s victory is historic because it marks the first time a Kennedy has ever lost a race in their home state of Massachusetts. Family Matriarch Ethel Kennedy – Joe’s grandmother – even hit the campaign trail as a surrogate for her grandson.

In case you needed another reminder: American political dynasties have become intolerable to vast swaths of the electorate.