MALDEN, MASS. (WHDH) - Taking another step off his campaign bus, Democratic Senator Ed Markey is in the home stretch of his reelection race. 7’s Adam Williams caught up with him for a one-on-one interview ahead of the fast-approaching primary election.
“I’m ready to go with my seniority, with my know-how, and with my commitment to advancing an agenda of justice for our country,” he said.
Set up in some patio furniture outside his Malden home, Markey said he is feeling confident he will beat his primary challenger Congressmen Joe Kennedy III.
When asked why Massachusetts voters should stick with him, Markey said, “Voters don’t have to choose between experience and change. I have the experience to get the job done and I am an agent of change in the United States senate as I sit there right now. The job of a senator is to listen to people in the community and then to take those lessons down to Washington and to legislate — to pass laws. That’s what I do.”
Looking ahead to next Tuesday, the senator also looks back on his 44 years in Washington.
“I’m the author of more than 500 laws. I have seniority in the Senate. Next year is going to be a big year for our country. We have to do big things on racial justice, on climate, on health care, on education, on economic justice,” he said.
Markey said he isn’t overlooking the obvious – that his opponent has a politically powerful last name.
“All I can really do is run as a Markey from Malden because I know my experiences are very much like the experiences of most people in the Commonwealth,” he said. “And I can see still my mother and father at the kitchen table struggling to pay the bills every month. And I know right now across Massachusetts hundreds of thousands of families– with the highest unemployment rate since the Great Depression–, are having that same set of conversations.”
In an effort to help those families Markey is currently pushing for a coronavirus relief payment of $2,000 a month.
When asked what kind of progressive he is, Markey said, “Well I’m– I am a progressive leader. I introduced the Green New Deal with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to change the whole discussion on that issue. With Bernie Sanders, I was an original co-sponsor on Medicare for All, so that we could ensure that every person in our country has access to the health care which they need.”
With his eyes on the Sept. 1 prize, Markey said he does not plan on losing.
“I don’t plan on losing but maybe I’ll just go back to fantasizing about being a starting pitcher for the Red Sox. Maybe I just go back to that start practicing in my backyard again but I don’t intend on losing.”
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