Touting blue-collar roots, Ed Markey releases first TV ad in Senate primary race
"Don't be scared of the tough fights."
Ed Markey is launching his first TV ad in the competitive primary race against Joe Kennedy III, the young representative challenging his spot in the U.S. Senate.
The ad, called “Streets,” touts Markey’s progressive bona fides in recent years, like sponsoring Bernie Sanders’ Medicare for All bill, co-authoring the Green New Deal with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and walking with activists in a recent Black Lives Matter march. Ocasio-Cortez, the young progressive firebrand from New York, is one of Markey’s most noteworthy endorsers.
While the ad doesn’t lob any direct attacks at Markey’s opponent, it seems to intentionally draw contrast with Kennedy’s privileged pedigree as a descendant of one of America’s mightiest and wealthiest political dynasties.
“This is where I’m from,” Markey’s voice emphasizes as he walks the streets of his hometown of Malden while an Orange Line train lurches past. “My father was a milkman. I drove an ice cream truck to pay for college.”
Markey wraps the ad by sharing lessons from his upbringing that motivate him: “Don’t be scared of the tough fights.” “Remember where you come from.” “Stand up for people counting on you.”
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His messaging evokes the iconic 1976 TV “Desk” ad that helped distinguish him in a crowded special election and launch him to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served for decades before becoming a senator in 2013.
Markey’s new TV spot will begin airing Thursday, according to the Boston Globe. A spokesman told the paper that the initial buy is $345,000 for five days.
His challenger has had ads on television since May, starting with a $1.2 million blitz. Kennedy has doubled that amount in spending through the end of June, and he released a new ad this week.
The primary election is Sept. 1. There have been no polls for the primary race in months, but Kennedy has emerged as Markey’s toughest opponent in the senator’s electoral history. Kennedy held significant leads against the incumbent in a handful of polls this winter and spring.
While the representative held a commanding fundraising lead for much of the race, their donations were in a dead heat for the last quarter. Kennedy has slightly less in the bank for the home stretch of the campaign partly due to his aggressive ad buys.
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