Massachusetts primary results live updates: Markey defeats Moulton

In a contest where age and generational change were featured prominently, 80-year-old incumbent Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey handily defeated Rep. Seth Moulton Tuesday, the Associated Press and NBC News have projected.

With nearly 75% of the vote early on, Markey led Moulton by nearly a 3-to-1 margin, according to the AP. The race was called about 30 minutes after the polls closed.

First elected to Congress in 1976, Markey led in every public poll and was backed by a gallery of well-known progressives, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont.

Markey will now face Republican candidate John Deaton, who ran unopposed in the general election in November. However, in the safe blue seat, Markey is overwhelmingly expected to win a third term.

Markey's chances of winning were never in doubt. An Aug. 17 UMass Poll showed 60% of Massachusetts Democrats said they plan to vote for or lean toward Markey, compared with 32% for Moulton. Another University of New Hampshire poll released Aug. 26 had Markey leading 63% to Moulton’s 28%.

Three other elections on the Bay State ballot Sept. 1 also feature clashes along generational lines, with House Democratic incumbents as old as 77 facing…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/travel/