Dem Sen. Markey faces potential primary challenge in Massachusetts

Boston labor rights attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan is preparing to mount a primary challenge to Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) in 2020, according to the Boston Globe.

Liss-Riordan filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission last month and wrote Friday that she plans to make her final decision “in the coming weeks.”

{mosads}“I have been so energized and inspired by the conversations I’ve been having with people across Massachusetts as I have been exploring a run,” Liss-Riordan said, according to the Globe. Liss-Riordan has been involved in several high-profile cases against gig economy firms such as Uber.

Markey has about $3.5 million cash on hand for his 2020 campaign and raised about $940,000 this year, according to the Globe. He faced no primary opposition in 2014, his first campaign for a full term after winning a special election to complete then-Secretary of State John Kerry’s term in 2013.

Backers of a primary challenge to Markey have pointed to another recent major primary upset in Massachusetts, Rep. Ayanna Pressley’s (D) successful challenge to then-Rep. Michael Capuano, a 10-term incumbent. Since the 2018 midterms Markey has taken steps to shore up his progressive credentials, sponsoring the Senate version of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s (D-N.Y.) Green New Deal resolution.

“Senator Markey is fighting every day in the Senate for the people of Massachusetts. From universal health care, to a Green New Deal, to equal rights, to gun safety, Senator Markey stands up for Massachusetts families and fights against the destructive, corrupt Trump administration,” a spokesperson for Markey’s office told the Globe. “He is excited and energized to run for another term.”