Massachusetts Democratic primary: 80-year-old Sen. Ed Markey is asking for six more years - and pitching himself as revolutionary

Key Points:

• In the Massachusetts Democratic Senate primary, incumbent Sen. Ed Markey, 80, is positioning himself as the anti-establishment progressive candidate against 47-year-old Rep. Seth Moulton, who campaigns on generational change and pragmatic progress.
• The race highlights a divide in defining "progressivism," with Markey emphasizing ambitious left-wing policies like Medicare for All and the Green New Deal, while Moulton criticizes Markey's legislative record and stresses the need for tangible results.
• Massachusetts Democratic leaders are conflicted, with some viewing Markey as past his prime and others wary of Moulton's challenge to the party establishment, especially given potential upcoming vacancies in the state's federal delegation and governorship.
• Markey's campaign seeks to energize left-wing voters by invoking revolutionary symbolism and endorsements from figures like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, while Moulton emphasizes his legislative achievements and criticizes Markey's approach as ineffective and negative.
• The primary may be one of the last in Massachusetts if a November ballot measure passes to replace partisan primaries with a non-partisan, top-two system similar to California's.