Incumbent US Senator and Boston College Law School graduate Edward J. Markey won a notable victory against Representative Joseph P. Kennedy III in the Democratic primary for Senate on Tuesday. It was the first electoral loss in Massachusetts for a member of the storied Kennedy clan, and an apparent progressive endorsement of Markey’s achievements in office, particularly concerning the environment and his work on the Green New Deal. Another graduate, US Representative Stephen Lynch ’91, also won his primary contest Tuesday for reelection to the Eighth Congressional District.
Markey, a native of Malden, Massachusetts, earned his bachelor’s (1968) and law (1972) degrees from Boston College. He served in the House of Representatives for 37 years, from 1976 to 2013, when he won a special election to replace Senator John Kerry ’76, who was appointed US Secretary of State. In that special election, Markey defeated fellow representative Lynch in the Democratic primary. In 2014, Markey was elected to a full term in the Senate.
Rep. Lynch, who has served in Congress since 2001, beat back a challenge by Robbie Goldstein.
Read more about the primary elections in Politico and perspectives from BC political experts in BC News.