Sen. Ed Markey accepted the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate Tuesday after defeating Rep. Joe Kennedy in the Massachusetts primary.
The first politician to defeat a Kennedy in a Massachusetts election, Markey will face Republican Kevin O’Connor in the general election.
Markey, an incumbent senator since 2013, accepted the nomination from his hometown of Malden.
“We both love Massachusetts and the United States of America,” Markey said. “I look forward to talking with Congressman Kennedy and working with him to make the lasting change I know we are both committed to.”
Kennedy, meanwhile, had chosen to focus on the Senate race and did not seek reelection into the U.S. House of Representatives.
“This campaign has always been about the young people of our country,” Markey said. “You are our future. And thank you for believing in me because I believe in you.”
Markey’s speech focused on his goals surrounding health care, educational, economic, racial and environmental justice.
“Tonight is more than just a celebration of the movement,” Markey said. “It is a reaffirmation of the need to have a movement. A progressive movement of young people demanding radical change, demanding justice.”
Kennedy pledged his support to Markey in his own speech Tuesday night. He thanked his supporters and said he was proud of what they “built together.”
“The senator is a good man,” Kennedy said. “You have never heard me say otherwise. It was difficult at times between us. Good elections often get heated.”
