Six years ago, Ed Markey successfully fended off a prominent primary challenge from a far younger representative. Recent polling suggests the 80-year-old Massachusetts senator is poised to repeat that feat in 2026.

A Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll released on Tuesday shows Markey leading Representative Seth Moulton 52 percent to 38 percent among Massachusetts voters, a signal that Markey is likely to buck a recent trend of members of the Democratic Party’s old guard falling to young challengers. Back in 2020, when the senator was already facing questions about his age, he dispatched Joe Kennedy III — needless to say, a big name in state politics — by ten points after a tense and high-profile primary.

The new poll did suggest that some voters were not thrilled about Markey’s age. When asked how they felt about Markey turning 80 in July, 49 percent of respondents said it made no difference to them while 33 percent said it made them less likely to support Markey in the primary. The survey polled 500 registered Massachusetts voters and was conducted from August 13 to August 16.

It follows a University of Massachusetts Amherst/WCVB Poll published on Monday that held similarly good news for........

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