Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts has made age a key issue as he announced Wednesday he is running for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Ed Markey.
Moulton is 46. Markey is 79, as noted by NBC.
Markey has been in Congress since 1977, when he entered the House. His Senate career began in 2013.
Moulton said it is time for a change.
“Real people across Massachusetts are being hurt by Democratic leaders refusing to do everything they can to win. We’ve got to look in the mirror and be honest. It’s time for change,” Moulton wrote in a post on social media platform X.
Real people across Massachusetts are being hurt by Democratic leaders refusing to do everything they can to win.
We’ve got to look in the mirror and be honest.
It’s time for change. pic.twitter.com/y2bbBZUn5R
— Seth Moulton (@sethmoulton) October 15, 2025
“Our party has clung to the status quo, insisted on using the same old playbook, and isn’t fighting hard enough,” Moulton said in his announcement video.
“The next generation will keep paying the cost if we don’t change course. This isn’t a fight we can put off for another six years. The future we all believe in is on the line,” he said.
“We’re in a crisis, and with everything we learned last election, I just don’t believe Senator Markey should be running for another six-year term at 80 years old,” Moulton said.
“Even more, I don’t think someone who’s been in Congress for half a century is the right person to meet this moment and win the future,” Moulton said in the video
“Senator Markey’s a good man, but it’s time for a new generation of leadership, and that’s why I’m running for U.S. Senate,” Moulton said.
The Markey campaign fired back, with campaign manager Cam Charbonnier saying Markey is on the job, according to Politico.
“While Congressman Moulton is launching a political campaign during a government shutdown, Senator Markey is doing his job — voting against Trump’s extremist agenda and working to stop the MAGA attacks on health care so that we can reopen the government,” Charbonnier said.
“That’s what leadership looks like and what the residents of Massachusetts expect from their senator,” he said.
In a 2024 interview, Markey said age was irrelevant, according to The Boston Globe.
“Paul McCartney is still rocking eight days a week, and so am I. I have so much more to contribute to Massachusetts and to the country, and I’m going to continue fighting for our people,” he said.
“I’ve been meeting the moment my entire career. I don’t care if that person is 48, 58, or 68. People in Massachusetts deserve a fierce advocate working on the issues of the future,” he said.
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