Kennedy leading Markey in possible Senate matchup: poll

Rep. Joe Kennedy III (D-Mass.), who is mulling a Senate bid, would lead Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) in a hypothetical matchup, according to a new poll. 

The Suffolk University/Boston Globe survey found that when asked to choose among five potential candidates, 35 percent of likely 2020 Democratic primary voters said they favored Kennedy while 26 percent favor Markey. 

{mosads} Head-to-head, 42 percent said they would choose Kennedy, compared to Markey’s 28 percent. 

About 36 percent of respondents said they would be undecided in the five-person race, while 29 percent said they would be undecided in the two-person contest, pollsters found. 

Both men were generally viewed positively by respondents: 59 percent said they viewed Markey as generally favorable and 73 percent felt the same way about Kennedy. 

Kennedy gained prominence when he delivered the Democratic response to President Trump‘s State of the Union address in 2018. He announced in a Facebook post last month that he was considering a Senate run and filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission allowing him to raise money for a Senate bid. 

Markey is up for reelection in 2020 and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D) is also running for president. If Warren wins, her seat would also become open.