Copyright The Boston Globe
Markey gets this voter’s nod. Also, primary energy would be better spent elsewhere. In your editorial on the coming Senate primary between incumbent Ed Markey and his challenger, Representative Seth Moulton, you argue that competition in politics is important (“Win or lose, Seth Moulton’s Senate campaign is good for democracy,” Oct. 31). Granted. But you then mention only one issue in their race, the one Moulton highlighted: Markey’s age. Age is relevant, but I’d rather vote for an older candidate who I agree with than a younger candidate I don’t agree with. I prefer a progressive to a centrist. Markey has been a progressive leader, not only on climate but also on nuclear disarmament, expansive internet access, and women’s health, among others. And while usually competition is important, this coming year, every minute and dollar spent in a Massachusetts Democratic primary is time and money that cannot be spent in swing states to retake the House and Senate and mount a resistance to MAGA. George Bachrach Advertisement Watertown The writer is a former state senator and former president of the Environmental League of Massachusetts. Moulton could stir a renewed fight in moribund Democratic Party Perhaps there are weightier benefits from Representative Seth Moulton’s decision to primary our not-so-junior junior senator, Ed Markey, than the instruction it offers to the electorate (“Win or lose, Seth Moulton’s Senate campaign is good for democracy”). Let’s look at the national Democratic Party as it stands now. Its starting lineup is elderly and disorganized. Its bench is undistinguished. Its farm system is — understocked? nonexistent? Moulton could help power the rebuild. Let’s not let him languish in the minor leagues of the House. We’ve gotten all we’re going to get from his opponent. Moulton has what the incumbent lacks: a promising upside. He has it in him to benefit our state, our country, and the Democratic Party. Advertisement Looking down the road, Moulton could become a plausible presidential candidate well before his sell-by date, but only if he gets the promotion he’s earned and deserves. Yes, the primary would be good for democracy, but not nearly as good, in the larger political scheme, as the presence of a semi-functional Massachusetts Republican Party. Frank Porter Cambridge
