Massachusetts Senate primary sharpens Democrats’ age divide
What’s next: Voters pick between Ed Markey and Seth Moulton on Tuesday in a race testing whether generational change can beat incumbency.
Massachusetts Democrats are heading into Tuesday’s U.S. Senate primary with a sharp split over age and generational change. U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, 47, has made Sen. Ed Markey’s age a central issue, arguing that the 80-year-old incumbent is out of step with younger voters facing artificial intelligence, housing costs and student debt. The debate intensified after Markey gave a halting answer when asked whether he uses AI tools such as Claude or ChatGPT. Still, Markey retains notable backing from younger Democrats, including the High School Democrats of America, the College Democrats of America, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Supporters say the real argument is over policy, not age, and that Markey’s long record gives voters something concrete to judge.