Generational divide at forefront in New England Democratic primaries

Rep. Moulton's challenge to Sen. Markey is about "a new generation of leaders."

As the fight over the ideological future of the Democratic Party plays out in primaries across the country, another divide emerging within the party over generational change is on display in New England.

On Tuesday, former Hartford, Conn., Mayor Luke Bronin, 47, defeated 14-term Rep. John Larson , who is 78, by more than 20 percentage points.

"I think these are not meant to be lifetime jobs," Bronin told ABC News' "This Week" co-anchor Martha Raddatz in an interview that aired Sunday. "We would just be a healthier party if we had more leaders that recognize that part of leadership is knowing when it's time to pass the torch, and that you need that renewal."

Larson was the seventh House Democrat to be ousted in primaries this year. He drew questions about his fitness for office after appearing to freeze up on the House floor last February because of what staff later said was a complex partial seizure.

Bronin insists his victory wasn't about age.

"I never made this campaign about Congressman Larson's age. Never made it about his health, but I made it about the fact that he'd been there for 28 years," Bronin said. "I felt like in this district we needed somebody who was ready to bring some new energy to the movement and who had a different set of perspectives."

Bronin's win in Connecticut is reverberating in neighboring Massachusetts, where 80-year-old Sen. Ed Markey is locked in a heated primary battle with Rep. Seth Moulton, who is more than 30 years his junior and says it's time to pass the torch.

While many incumbent Democrats have faced younger challengers from the left, this race is different: Markey is a progressive titan in the Senate who successfully fended off a challenge from then-Rep. Joe Kennedy III in 2020 and is hoping to do so again when Bay State voters go to the polls on Sept. 1.

A University of New Hampshire poll conducted in June found Markey leading Moulton by six percentage points among likely primary voters, down from his 13-point lead in April.

Raddatz asked Markey about calls for generational change after a campaign stop in Worcester, Mass.

"I don't think people think generational change is giving Donald Trump a $1 trillion budget to fight a war in Iran," Markey said. "I don't think it's generational change to be opposed to Medicare for all. That's not generational change. It's how you are going to fight for ordinary families and what they're going to need in order to get the protections and the opportunities which our country presents for everyone. And there's a big difference between Seth Moulton and me in this fight."

Markey has served in public office since 1973 and was first elected to Congress nearly 50 years ago.

"Senator, your opponent, obviously, you've heard this again and again, is making age a real point in this campaign. Why do you think you could serve until you're 86 years old?" Raddatz asked.

"This is the most energized that I have ever been," Markey replied. "There's a lot of work to be done, and that is what energizes me every single day. That's what gets me up and fighting."

Markey said he will know if it's time for him to step down.

"If someone can't do the job, they should step down, and that's regardless of your age," Markey told Raddatz. "And that's what I'm going to do, I'm going to continue to fight and fight and fight for the people. If I couldn't do the job, I would step down, but there's no indication that that is the case."

Moulton, who is 47, has centered his campaign on calls for new leadership in Washington.

"There are a lot of eyes on us to make this happen. To show the party is willing to change. To show that we can elevate a new generation of leaders," Moulton said in remarks to volunteers at his campaign headquarters in Salem, Mass.

The Marine Corps combat veteran has served in the House since 2015 and launched a brief presidential campaign in 2019. He told Raddatz that his call for generational change is finally resonating in this political moment.

"The overriding message is that the Democratic Party needs to change," Moulton said. "The establishment in Washington is not getting it done."

Raddatz pressed Moulton on Markey's message that generational change is about getting things done, not age.

"One out of three residents of Massachusetts thought about leaving the state last year because costs are too high. Housing costs are skyrocketing, electricity bills are twice the national average," Moulton responded. "If you think that's getting things done, then vote for the status quo. But what I hear from residents across this commonwealth is that we need to do better."

"Senator Markey's been elected longer than I've been alive, so he's had a lot of time to shake hands and meet voters, but as they get to know me throughout this campaign, they're ready for a new generation of leaders, and that's what this election is ultimately all about," Moulton added.

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