Markey, Moulton lock horns ahead of Massachusetts Senate primary: 3 takeaways from last debate

Rep. Seth Moulton and Sen. Ed Markey exchanged blows from the onset of the final Massachusetts Democratic Senate primary debate as the 47-year-old House lawmaker mounts a long-shot bid to oust his 80-year-old progressive opponent.

Moulton and Markey appeared for their last televised debate on Thursday, which was hosted by WCVB-TV, WBUR-FM and The Boston Globe in Boston, ahead of the Sept. 1 primary. Early voting begins Saturday.

Moulton has framed the race around generational change while questioning Markey’s progressive bona fides. He’s suggested the Massachusetts senator has not done enough to fight back against the Trump administration and advance priorities like the Green New Deal.

Meanwhile, Markey scoffed at the attacks, pointing to his central role in authoring the climate-oriented policy while seeking to tie the congressman to past votes and statements on everything from the Iran war to transgender rights. He also noted that he received endorsements from key progressives including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).

Polling has consistently shown Markey comfortably leading Moulton in the contest. The winner of the September primary will be the heavy favorite to win the Senate seat in the Bay State come November.

Here are the key takeaways from Thursday’s debate:

Moulton touts progressive positions while his moderate preferences peek through

Throughout the race, Moulton, who has made his brand as a more left-of-center Democrat in the House, has sought to position himself as the more progressive of the two in the Senate primary. That theme was on clear display during their final debate, though he didn’t shy away several times from highlighting more moderate Democrats or leaning toward more moderated stances.

When asked during the debate what democratic socialist candidates were getting right or wrong, the House Democrat applauded their focus on affordability, mentioning New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani before citing centrist Govs. Abigail Spanberger of Virginia and Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey. The two governors who won their elections in 2025, and they are more moderate Democrats and not democratic socialists.

“I have put forward such a progressive affordability agenda that plants the flag in the ground and says that housing, healthcare and education should be human rights,” Moulton said.

Markey, meanwhile, regularly touted his left-wing support, including endorsements from Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).

“Our party has to become more progressive,” Markey said. “We have to stand up for what the people are talking about at the grassroots, especially young people.”

“They support Medicare for All. They know the healthcare system in our country is a sick care system. They want it fixed. They want a Green New Deal,” he continued. “They want to take what I’ve already led on, and they want to build it even bigger.”

During a discussion over whether transgender athletes should be allowed to play in the sport that aligns with their gender, Moulton said they should, with the caveat that there should be a “discussion” that touches on “issues of safety and fairness.”

Markey is one of the oldest senators in the upper chamber, and Moulton has made his opponent’s age and generational change focal points in his Senate pitch.

“I’m running against the senator’s decision after 50 years in Washington, to run for another term at age 80,” the congressman said in his closing remarks. “I believe in a new generation of leadership. I believe we can do better than the status quo.”

Moulton reiterated his support for age limits in Congress, while Markey said that if a lawmaker “can’t do the job, they should just step down.”

On Thursday’s debate stage, Moulton jabbed at Markey’s response to a question about whether he used AI platforms in his work. The senator said he used “whatever is inside of my iPhone and my iPad,” while noting he didn’t know which companies his iPad could be using.

“With all due respect, senator, if you don’t even know what you’re using on your phone or your iPad, like, this is why we need a new generation of leaders to regulate these technologies,” Moulton retorted.

But Markey has maintained he’s still up for the job and that Moulton has “a hard time keeping up” with him on the campaign trail. He also accused the congressman of discovering issues while campaigning for the Senate, whereas the senator said he was leading on them already in the upper chamber.

“I’m more energized than I’ve ever been before,” he said Thursday, noting that he was “crisscrossing the state” and “fighting for families.”

Responding to Moulton’s attack regarding the AI platforms he was using, the senator said the name of the application didn’t matter.

“We need to build safeguards around it, and that is what my legislation is accomplishing,” Markey said.

Markey zeroes in on Moulton over trans rights

During the debate, the senator renewed his attacks on Moulton over his 2024 remarks on transgender girls and women being allowed to play in sports aligned with their gender — comments Moulton has since apologized for and tried to walk back.

“Congressman Moulton threw those kids under the political bus after the election of 2024. He just turned them into political fodder that made them afraid. We should have been loving those kids,” Markey said.

The congressman said shortly after the 2024 election that he opposed transgender girls and women playing on sports teams that align with their gender.

“Democrats spend way too much time trying not to offend anyone rather than being brutally honest about the challenges many Americans face,” Moulton told The New York Times in an interview at the time. “I have two little girls, I don’t want them getting run over on a playing field by a male or formerly male athlete, but as a Democrat I’m supposed to be afraid to say that.”

The congressman has voted for and even co-sponsored legislation that aims to support the transgender community, such as House Democrats’ Transgender Bill of Rights.

Moulton has since apologized for his comments.

“To anyone hurt by my comments, I’m sorry because that was not my intention,” he said Thursday. “My intention was to say that we need to take on these issues.”

While Moulton supported the right of transgender girls and women to play on teams that align with their gender, he still suggested there should be a “discussion” and argued Democrats shouldn’t be ceding the issue to Republicans.