Ed Markey Mass catches Joseph Kennedy. Senate Race

Now, many in the House of Representatives are demanding that Democrat-controlled Washington come forward with an ambitious agenda or face another primary wave. Some of them may retire or, Joseph R. If Biden Jr. wins the presidency, he will have to accept administrative positions instead of seeking re-election.

Yet others try to imitate Mr. Markey, who succeeds by broadcasting a new activism on the left. Elected to the House for the first time in 1976, he was the most loyal Liberal vote in the House and Senate, by John F. Kennedy. He moved in 2013 after Kerry became secretary of state.

Mr. Markey has never been called a progressive warrior and he cast some votes, including on the 1990s Crime Bill and the Iraq War – they went to the left with today’s movement.

However, he played a leading role on environmental and technological issues and was associated with his most important supporter, Mrs. Ocasio-Cortez. Their joint writing of the Green New Deal not only endorsed Mr. Markey but also gave access to a new generation of environmental activists. He captured the early support of the Sunrise movement, a group of environmental activists, and formed a strong coalition of young progressives.

“If we were to have a planet where people in my generation could live, we need someone like Senator Markey,” said 29-year-old Lindsay Aldworth, who was active in the sunrise movement at the college and attended a rally for Mr. Markey last week in New Bedford, Mass.

That enthusiasm has frustrated Mr Kennedy, who is counting on winning votes from young voters. Like Mr. Biden, he believes that many white liberal voters in the state attribute some of his previous attitudes to Mr. Markey, including his long-standing opposition to the unification of Boston public schools.

However, Mr. Kennedy built his own coalition of supporters, gaining approval from many racial voters and working-class people.