US Representative Joseph P. Kennedy III is allegedly gearing up to launch a primary challenge next year against Senator Ed Markey, senior Democratic officials have revealed.
Should Kennedy, the grandson of Robert F. Kennedy, follow through with the bid, the decision would surely make the contest one of the highest-profile Democratic races of recent times.
Though Kennedy has previously stated he intends to run for re-election in 2020, an anonymous source told The New York Times that the 38-year-old is considering challenging for Markey’s seat, a position he has held since 2013.
Kennedy is set to finalize his decision in the coming weeks, the source said.
US Representative Joseph P. Kennedy III is allegedly gearing up to launch a primary challenge next year against Senator Ed Markey, senior Democratic officials have revealed
The speculation surrounding the potential race began last month, when Politico reported on a poll testing Kennedy’s prospects against the incumbent Senator. Shortly after the poll’s emergence, a group called ‘Jump in, Joe!’ emerged on Facebook and Twitter, calling for supporters to sign a petition to encourage Kennedy to run
However, for the meantime, Kennedy’s camp stand firm on the fact that he isn’t eyeing up a position in the Senate and will be running for re-election in Congress as planned.
‘Right now Joe is running for re-election. He’s grateful for the recent show of support from folks across Massachusetts,’ a spokeswoman for Kennedy told the Boston Herald.
Paul Tencher, a senior adviser to Markey’s campaign, told the Times that the senator would not be intimidated by speculation of a challenge from Kennedy.
‘Ed is not going anywhere,’ Tencher said. ‘He’s going to run, and he’s going to run no matter who is in this race.’
While both of the politicians are considered progressive Democrats, the prospect of a race between the grandson of Robert F. Kennedy and grandnephew of John F. Kennedy, against a Senator with four decades worth of political experience would be sure to stir up a media frenzy.
While both of the politicians are considered progressive Democrats, the prospect of a race between the grandson of Robert F. Kennedy (right) and grandnephew of John F. Kennedy, against a Senator with four decades worth of political experience would be sure to stir up a media frenzy
The speculation surrounding the potential race began last month, when Politico reported on a poll testing Kennedy’s prospects against the incumbent Senator.
On Friday, a Democratic official confirmed to the Times that Kennedy had paid for the survey to be carried out.
Shortly after the poll’s emergence, a group called ‘Jump in, Joe!’ emerged on Facebook and Twitter, calling for supporters to sign a petition to encourage Kennedy to run.
‘We think Congressman Kennedy should run for the United States Senate not simply to oppose any person or because his last name is Kennedy,’ the group states on its website.
‘The congressman should run because our country is vulnerable, and he has demonstrated that he has the energy, courage, and progressive ideas to fight for the Commonwealth and put our nation on a more just course.’
While Mr. Kennedy delivered the Democratic response to President Trump’s State of the Union in 2018, he has flown somewhat under the radar since his election into Washington in 2012.
He did however write an opinion piece about his grandfather for the Washington Post on Thursday, and appeared on the podcast of President Obama’s former adviser, David Axelrod.
Paul Tencher, a senior adviser to Markey’s campaign, told the Times that the senator would not be intimidated by speculation of a challenge from Kennedy. ‘Ed is not going anywhere,’ Tencher said. ‘He’s going to run, and he’s going to run no matter who is in this race.’
But ousting Markey from the Senate would likely prove to be a mammoth task for the 38-year-old. Markey, 73, has already secured the support of Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who tapped a video endorsement for his campaign, according to the Times.
Markey has also sent out a list of endorsements to the Boston Globe Thursday from fellow Massachusetts colleagues, though Kennedy wasn’t named among the bunch.
The pair reportedly haven’t seen eye-to-eye recently, however they did share a phone call the other day, the source said.
The call was said to be made by Markey, offering his condolences to Kennedy after his cousin, Saoirse Kennedy Hill, died at age 22, from a suspected overdose.
Though Kennedy’s contendership remains strictly speculative, Markey is already facing competition from Shannon Liss-Riordan, a workers’ rights lawyer, and Steve Pemberton, a former senior executive at Walgreens.