Dem Rep. Joe Kennedy Challenges Dem Sen. Ed Markey

The Associated Press reports:

U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy III formally declared his candidacy for the U.S. Senate on Saturday, becoming the first member of the Kennedy political dynasty to bid for the upper chamber of Congress since Edward M. Kennedy in 1962.

The Massachusetts Democrat formally announced his campaign in an email before a kickoff event in East Boston, where the Kennedy clan first settled after arriving from Ireland well over a century ago. “I’m running because our country is at a moment of truth,” Kennedy told supporters in the email. “Donald Trump has forced a long overdue reckoning in America. And how we respond will say everything about who we are.”

The 38-year-old Joe Kennedy will face 73-year-old incumbent Sen. Edward Markey in next year’s primary. A Kennedy-Markey contest will put more than a few high-profile Democrats in an awkward position, most notably Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the White House hopeful from Massachusetts.

Joe Kennedy Dodges Crashing Planes, Swerving Cars After Announcing Campaign For Senate https://t.co/hpmlkIJlLA pic.twitter.com/3oDhnetyrj

— The Onion (@TheOnion) September 21, 2019

Rep. Joe Kennedy III announces he’s running for the U.S. Senate in Massachusetts against incumbent and fellow Democrat Edward Markey. https://t.co/yakHehZGT0

— The Associated Press (@AP) September 21, 2019