President Donald Trump on Wednesday pointed to Rep. Joe Kennedy’s defeat in a Democratic primary as evidence that the party has come to be dominated by the “Radical Left.”
Kennedy, a congressman for the state’s fourth congressional district, lost his primary challenge against incumbent Democratic Sen. Ed Markey.
Kennedy had been endorsed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), while Markey had the backing of progressives including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).
It was the first time in Massachusetts history that a member of the Kennedy family lost an election in the state.
“See, even a Kennedy isn’t safe in the new Radical Left Democrat Party,” Trump tweeted Wednesday morning. “Taxes up big, no 2A. Biden has completely lost control. Pelosi strongly backed the loser!”
With about three-quarters of ballots tallied late Tuesday night, Markey won 54 percent of the vote to Kennedy’s 46 percent.
Markey, who is 74, is perhaps best known for his work to advance Green New Deal legislation alongside Ocasio-Cortez.
It was the senator’s ties to his party’s progressive wing that energized support for him among young liberals and propelled his candidacy past the 39-year-old Kennedy.
But Trump’s assertion Tuesday ignores the fact that Kennedy also ran a significantly progressive campaign. The congressman has expressed support for the Green New Deal and Medicare for All.
In addition to the Kennedys, the president has previously reveled in the defeats of other political dynasties.
Trump memorably vanquished former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush in the 2016 Republican presidential primary before his unexpected victory over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in the general election.
In 2018, Trump equated his wins over Bush and Clinton to his battle against former special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe.
“I’ve had to beat 17 very talented people including the Bush Dynasty,” he tweeted, “then I had to beat the Clinton Dynasty, and now I have to beat a phony Witch Hunt and all of the dishonest people covered in the IG Report...and never forget the Fake News Media. It never ends!”
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