Seven months out from the Massachusetts primary day March 3rd….
Veteran US Sen. Markey has a problem…
A young Kennedy looking for his job….
And riding a wave….
MORE THAN A YEAR out from the 2020 US Senate primary, Massachusetts Democratic voters strongly favor Congressman Joe Kennedy over Sen. Ed Markey, according to an online poll conducted last weekend.
When respondents were pressed to make a choice, Kennedy garnered 42 percent support compared to Markey’s 25 percent. Businessman Steve Pemberton earned 7 percent and attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan got 5 percent. Without leaners, Kennedy’s 17-point lead is slightly diminished, as 31 percent of respondents said they would back Kennedy compared to 19 percent supporting Markey….
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Coverage of the potential Kennedy-Markey showdown has included whispers about internal polls that supposedly showed Kennedy with an advantage, but no public polls have yet provided firm data on the contest, which is more than a year out.
It was the exercise of a poll itself – presumably an internal one – disclosed by respondents that launched the initial parade of speculation that Kennedy was seriously considering taking on Markey. The 38-year-old scion of the Bay State’s most storied political family of the past century says he has new ideas, and he could make a case for generational change to voters if he goes forward with a campaign against the 73-year-old senator, who was closing in on his third full term in the US House when Kennedy was born.
Markey, who has secured the endorsement of Sen. Elizabeth Warren and 116 Democratic state lawmakers in Massachusetts, has aligned himself with the most animating causes of the political left, signing on as Senate sponsor of the Green New Deal and backing Medicare for All legislation.
Meanwhile, Republican Gov. Charlie Baker would merit a lot of poll respondents’ support if he chose to run for Senate, the poll found….
image….outsidethebeltway.com
Ed Markey just hasn’t been very visible or audible — which might be a good thing if you prefer workhorses to showhorses.
On the other hand, everyone knows who the Kennedys are.
So I’m not sure how much of this is name recognition and a glamour gap, as opposed to comparing policy positions, constituency service, or effective legislation.
As Sen. Markey gets more exposure during the campaign, their relative positions might change; in fact I think that they will.
Markey keeps a lower profile than all other recent Senators from Massachusetts–Elizabeth Warren, John Kerry, Scott Brown, Ted Kennedy.
Maybe Mass voters like Senators who chase the limelight.
Being invisible is NOT what politicians should be doing….