Markey touts past praise from Kennedy: ‘He does an incredible job’

Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) on Tuesday sought to use past praise from Rep. Joe Kennedy III (D-Mass.) against the congressman as the two face off in their Democratic Senate race.

Markey tweeted several clips of the congressman praising Markey’s record, including one from 2013 of Kennedy saying the incumbent senator has “literally championed causes we’ve seen and experienced here in Massachusetts.”

He also shared a 2018 clip of Kennedy saying of Markey: “I think he does an incredible job representing our Commonwealth.” Another clip of a 2020 debate between the two shows Kennedy saying Markey has “absolutely” been a good senator.

The 2018 clip also features Kennedy refusing to rule out challenging a fellow Democrat in a primary but saying “I have a hard time understanding what those circumstances would be that would lead me to do that.”

Thank you Joe Kennedy for your kind words and support. pic.twitter.com/zJtSZPFaZx

— Ed Markey (@EdMarkey) June 10, 2020

The Hill has reached out to Kennedy’s campaign for comment.

Markey’s campaign tweeted the video shortly after a tweet from Kennedy in which he assailed Markey’s progressive bona fides, knocking him for supporting the Hyde Amendment, which bans federal funding for abortion, as well as his initial vote for the Iraq War and initially opposing desegregation busing in Massachusetts, although Markey later reversed himself on the issue.

Ed Markey

Supported Hyde.
Opposed school desegregation.
Voted for the three-strikes law.
Voted to quadruple prison funding.
Voted to expand the death penalty.
Voted for NAFTA.
Voted for the Iraq War.
Now welcomes super PACs.

That’s not “progressive leadership.”

— Joe Kennedy III (@joekennedy) June 10, 2020

Kennedy took similar aim at Markey in a debate Monday evening, telling the senator “You might be known for some things in your time in office, senator, racial justice and criminal justice is not one of them.”

Markey, meanwhile, hit Kennedy on his time working for Republican district attorney Michael O’Keefe, saying Kennedy “decided to go and work for a right-wing Republican who opposes the kind of progressive changes we’re looking for.”

Massachusetts is set to hold its Senate primary Sept. 1. Kennedy leads Markey by 9 points, according to the RealClearPolitics average of polls.