Joseph “Joe” Kennedy III, the Massachusetts Congressman and member of the famous political family lost his Democratic primary challenge Tuesday, MSN News reports.
What We Know:
- The grandson of legendary U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy challenged incumbent Sen. Edward Markey in the Democratic primary in hopes of following in the footsteps of other members of his family. Markey won by moving far to the left, gaining support from key progressives like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who he co-sponsored the Green New Deal with.
- Markey also criticized Kennedy for being a “progressive in name only”. Kennedy, on the other hand, ripped into Markey by calling out his opposition of the effort to desegregate Boston Public Schools beginning in the 1970s.
- Despite a key endorsement from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the 39-year-old Kennedy failed to topple his more senior opponent. Concession speeches are typically unfamiliar to Kennedy’s who have dominated Massachusetts politics for decades. In his remarks, Joe Kennedy III promised to back Markey against his Republican challenger in November.
- In his victory speech, Sen. Markey thanked his supporters and described his win as the “celebration of a movement”.
Tonight is more than just a celebration of an election, it is a celebration of a movement. Thank you to the thousands of grassroots supporters who organized around the principles that we believe in. We could not have done it without you. https://t.co/ALkLhs03Kg
— Ed Markey (@EdMarkey) September 2, 2020
- The young Rep. Joe Kennedy was seen as a rising star in the Democratic party, even chosen to deliver the Democratic rebuttal to President Trump’s State of the Union a few years back.
Sen. Markey will now face Republican nominee Kevin O’Connor in a race where Markey is considered a strong favorite.
