"I would like to tell Joe to wait": Democrats warn Kennedy against Markey's indictment

Joe Kennedy should not just beat outgoing President Ed Markey to win a seat in the Senate. He will also face Chuck Schumer, Elizabeth Warren, the Democratic Senate's campaign branch – and possibly AOC.

Congressman and grandson of 38-year-old Robert F. Kennedy will face a wave of Washington Democrats if he tries to challenge Markey in Massachusetts. create a huge distraction for the party in a safe Democrat seat in the middle of a battle for the majority in the White House and Senate.

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"This kind of fight within a party is not good in the long run. And I do not think it will be good for Joe Kennedy, "warned Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.). "I am a survivor of the Kennedy-Carter fight. I know how long these feelings last.

While Kennedy flirts with the race and leads the first polls, Markey quickly mobilized to get support from the establishment of the D.C. and prominent progressives. Representative Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) Endorsed him and Schumer said his party was "totally behind Senator Ed Markey". Kennedy called Schumer about the race but the leader of the Senate minority did not disclose what had been said.

Markey also asked Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) For her support, according to a source familiar with the matter. The Liberal spokesman said Markey's approval was "in the realm of possibility."

Yet Kennedy is not without allies. Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-Arizona), a moderate Democrat who sat with Kennedy in the House, urges him to introduce himself and informed Markey of his decision in the Senate on Wednesday afternoon.

"Joe Kennedy is an outstanding champion for his country," Sinema said. "He's an innovative thinker who can bring people together to get things done. He will make an excellent American senator and I could not be more proud to support my friend. "

But the support of Schumer and moderate Senator Joe Manchin (DW.Va.) to Markey, as well as his close relationship with Ocasio-Cortez as original co-sponsors of the Green New Deal, demonstrate that the potential race in the Senate will not run not. around ideological conflicts like the GOP tea wave a decade ago.

Instead, the contest announces generational: the young Kennedy and his famous family brand against the over 40 years of service and the long Markey liberal record.

"I do not understand how anyone wants to run against him.I mean that he's the progressive climate leader in the US Congress," said Khanna, one of the leading liberal lawmakers, of Markey. "The progressive base is 100% for Markey – it's 110% for Markey."

"I would tell Joe to wait," said Manchin, the Senate's most conservative Democrat. "This type of fight when two people are aligned ideologically? What is the fight? "

The Massachusetts delegation is behind Markey, with the exception of three members of the delegation who have not weighed yet, including progressive star Ayanna Pressley, who has upset long-time representative Mike Capuano to last fall. Kennedy's challenge to the old guard puzzled senators, who saw him as an attempt to climb the political ladder to the detriment of the seniority of his state.

But many of his colleagues in the House are quietly supporting him, wanting to show that one of them can move forward without waiting for the retirement of senators or the resignation of the long-standing House Democratic caucus leaders.

And Markey's supporters in the Senate are not castigating Kennedy. After all, he could be a future colleague or presidential candidate considering his lineage and his reputation as an ascending voice within the party.

"Ed was an excellent partner in the Senate and I was pleased to support him last February. Joe does an amazing job in Congress. They are both longtime friends, "Warren said in an interview. Warren was Kennedy's teacher at Harvard.

In an interview Wednesday, Markey extolled his support for NARAL, the League of Conservation Voters, senators and state legislators. When asked about polls showing that Kennedy had an advantage, he replied, "I'm getting tremendous support."

"Until now, the response I receive is extremely positive," he said. "I led the debates on climate change, firearms reform, reproductive rights and the protection of women … people are grateful."

Markey said he had not spoken to Kennedy recently.

Kennedy is expected to make a final decision by the end of the month, according to a campaign assistant. Emily Kaufman, Kennedy spokeswoman, said Congressman always deliberates but is "encouraged" by his support.

"If he decides to introduce himself, it will be based on the people of Massachusetts – and they alone," said Kaufman.

Despite Kennedy's famous surname, he has been keeping a low profile since joining the House in 2013. He has resisted calls to join the House leadership, focusing instead on improving the younger members of the House. a caucus led by septuagenarian leaders. He published the state of the Union last year, a job usually reserved for rising stars of the party, although we remember especially the important presence of lip balm that some viewers have confused with drool.

After nearly 40 years in the House, Markey has won a special election to replace John Kerry in 2013 and is a leading Liberal lawmaker in the Senate, even though it's not necessarily a partisan trade mark . It has one of the thickest accents of Congress, sometimes called like "Mahkey". He voted for the war against Syria soon after his swearing in, annoying "literally everyone," as Boston Magazine says.

Several Democrats in the House have been reluctant to weigh on the potential primary. Some said in private that they were convinced that Kennedy was running. And they offered commendable praise to the four-term legislator, who developed a group of friends on both sides of the aisle.

"Joe Kennedy could be the most popular member of the 2012 promotion in both parties," said Scott Peters (D-Calif.). "Massachusetts and the country will find a good place to serve Joe Kennedy. It may not be the direction of the House, but it has a bright future. "

As heir to the Kennedy Dynasty, Kennedy appears as an instant favorite in all races. Some Democrats are skeptical of the idea that the Senate Democratic Campaign Committee to spend money in a primary school in a state considered uncompetitive at a general election, although DSCC President Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) said the party strongly supported Markey. The first would be in September 2020 – the timing is wrong for party unity.

Kennedy has a double-digit lead in the first polls in a potential race against Markey. And he could potentially scare Markey before his retirement or position himself for the next vacancy in the Senate if Warren became president.

But Markey does not surrender and there is really no margin to his left for Kennedy. He told his fellow senators that he is not retiring and will be fighting Kennedy, according to his interlocutors.

"It's ambition," said Dick Whins, Senate Whip, at Kennedy's motivation. "For Ed, I do not want a primary … he's a clear candidate for re-election, and I'm going to help him in every way possible.

The support shown by leading Democratic and progressive leaders suggests that Markey could lose to Kennedy or at least drain money from party coffers. So, if Kennedy runs, the Democrats are preparing for a crazy race.

"It's life in a blue state," said Senator Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Himself formerly chairman of the DSCC. "Kennedy's name probably has a bit of a stroke in Massachusetts. So, chances are it's competitive.

Melanie Zanona contributed to this report.