09/18/2019 06:44 PM EDT
Kennedy to challenge Markey for Massachusetts Senate seat
Robert F. Kennedy’s grandson will formally announce his plans Saturday morning at a breakfast in East Boston.
BOSTON — Rep. Joe Kennedy III will challenge Sen. Ed Markey for his Senate seat in 2020, setting up a Democratic primary battle that has the potential to divide the Massachusetts political class and draw national attention.
Kennedy will formally announce his plans Saturday morning at a breakfast in East Boston, according to a source familiar with the news. In the days following the announcement, Kennedy plans to take a tour across the state, the source said. News of Kennedy’s announcement was first reported by the Boston Globe.
Kennedy met with Markey on Wednesday afternoon to inform him of the news, according to the source. Markey and Kennedy have steered clear of one another since news broke that Kennedy was considering a challenge for the seat. Over the weekend, Kennedy held a meet-and-greet with activists after the state Democratic party's annual convention to gather input on a Senate run.
The race between Markey and Kennedy is shaping up to be a contest colored by generational themes: Kennedy is 38 years old and Markey, 73, has been in Congress since the 1970s. Elected to the Senate in a 2013 special election, Markey has been rolling out endorsements from prominent lawmakers and environmental groups for weeks. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) are among his supporters. The Sierra Club endorsed Markey on Wednesday.
In late July, Kennedy quietly commissioned a poll testing his favorability against Markey, and campaign lines for both lawmakers. A public poll conducted just after Labor Day found Kennedy 14 percentage points ahead of Markey in a head-to-head match-up, and 9 percentage points ahead of Markey and two lesser-known primary challengers, executive Steve Pemberton and attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan.
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But this one's gonna do well, I think!