Democratic Sen. Ed Markey easily fends off Massachusetts primary challenge from Rep. Seth Moulton

Democratic Sen. Ed Markey defeated Rep. Seth Moulton in the Senate primary in Massachusetts, NBC News projects, in a victory for the party’s progressive wing.

Markey was winning by nearly 50 percentage points with 2% of the expected vote reporting.

Markey’s win comes as other longtime Democratic lawmakers have lost to younger challengers in primaries this year. But the 80-year-old senator fended off his challenger by touting his liberal record as an author of the Green New Deal and vocal supporter of “Medicare for All.”

“It’s all about not just sending a Democrat to the Senate — it’s sending a progressive Democrat to the Senate from Massachusetts so there can be someone that reflects your values every single day,” Markey said at a rally on the eve of the primary, describing the race as “a progressive final round.”

Moulton and his allies had a spending advantage in the race, spending $7.1 million on ads to Markey and his allies’ $3.9 million, according to AdImpact. That makes Markey’s win another victory for a progressive who faced an onslaught of well-funded attacks.

On the campaign trail and the airwaves, Markey also touted endorsements from progressive leaders, including Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/business