Big Win for Markey

U.S. Senator Ed Markey pulled out a big win statewide, citywide and in Charlestown on Tuesday, Sept. 1, over Congressman Joe Kennedy III – beating Kennedy in the Town by nearly 1,000 votes despite never setting foot in Charlestown during the campaign.

Kennedy, on the other hand, campaigned extensively in Charlestown and had the support of the Teamsters Local 25 as well. It didn’t seem to matter, though.

Sen. Markey won every precinct in Charlestown, getting 2,825 votes to Kennedy’s 1,886. It’s a startling result given the historical pull of the Kennedy family in Charlestown – as they were once celebrated in the Battle of Bunker Hill Day Parade and had deep roots in the Town with the late Gerard Doherty.

Markey pulled out the statewide win with 55 percent of the vote to Kennedy’s 44.6 percent of the vote. In Boston, it was even more lopsided as Markey collected 59 percent of the vote (77,518) to Kennedy’s 40 percent (52,485).

Markey enjoyed strong support in western Massachusetts, and also on Cape Ann. Kennedy showed strength in southeast Massachusetts and central Massachusetts – as well as in Chelsea, Revere, and Lynn.

Kennedy jumped out to a fast start more than a year ago, and as time went on few gave Markey a chance as Kennedy seemed to have the rising star. However, one should never count Ed Markey out of the picture. Markey’s campaign came alive down the stretch with the ‘Leads and Delivers’ bus tour, and grabbed a key endorsement from Councilor Lydia Edwards and other Boston City Councilors too.

Kennedy made a long visit to Charlestown last Saturday, hitting Zume’s for coffee and walking through the Town with supporters. On Tuesday, Vicki Kennedy showed up in Charlestown on the campaign trail for Joe Kennedy III.

But it wasn’t enough statewide.

In his concession speech Tuesday night, he said his coalition will continue.

“The Senator is a good man,” he said of Markey. “You’ve never heard me say otherwise. I know it was difficult between us at times — good elections get heated — but I am grateful for our debates, for his commitment to this Commonwealth, and for the energy and enthusiasm that he brought to this race. Obviously, these results are not the ones we were hoping for…We built a campaign for the people that our politics too often locks out and leaves behind. We built a campaign for Lawrence and Chelsea and New Bedford and Roxbury and Brockton and Springfield and Lowell and Worcester. We built a campaign for working folks — of every color and creed — who carry the economic injustice of this country on their backs. This campaign’s coalition will endure.”

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