To the editor:
The Senate primary between incumbent Ed Markey and challenger Seth Moulton is a choice between two different visions of Democratic politics.
Sen. Markey has served Massachusetts with distinction for 50 years. But he entered public life when politics hardened around organized groups and issue scorecards that rewarded ideological purity. Markey thrived under that model. He even boasts on his website that, as a state legislator, he refused to compromise on judicial reform — and lost his committee assignment.
But times have changed. Americans are exhausted. Prices are too high. Masked federal agents use lethal force against Americans with impunity. America is abandoning allies who fought and died on its behalf.
Restoring the normalcy Americans crave requires something Democrats have struggled to build at the national level: durable majorities that can govern decisively, hold agencies accountable and confirm judges.
Markey’s recent record fits a pattern. He opposed Sen. Joe Manchin’s 2022 permitting reforms — needed to connect renewables to the grid — because they also eased some natural-gas infrastructure. In 2024, he was one of only two “no” votes on the ADVANCE Act, a pro–next-generation nuclear package that passed the Senate 88–2. This is a politics of maximal demands and a refusal to compromise. Even when the goals are worthy, prioritizing purity makes it harder for Democrats to hold the center, win the country and keep power long enough to deliver results.
Moulton represents the next chapter: a politics aimed at building governing majorities.
He founded Serve America to recruit Democrats capable of winning in purple states and districts; Arizona senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego are alumni. And Moulton is aligned with the pro-growth New Democrats Coalition which focuses on compromise to achieve outcomes.
If you’ve supported Markey because you care about liberal ends, then the question is how we secure those ends in an era when MAGA is pulling the country toward chaos.
The answer is majorities.
Markey is built for the groups. Moulton is built for majorities. Registered Massachusetts Democrats and unaffiliated voters should vote for Seth Moulton in the primary on Sept. 1.
Nick Ward
Rolleston Road
