Ed Markey, Kevin O'Connor Making U.S. Senate Race Easy For Voters

Ed Markey is one more election victory away from retaining his U.S. Senate seat. Kevin O'Connor is one upset away from turning politics on its head.

Voter are deciding between the two starkly different candidates in the weeks leading up to Nov. 3: Markey, who after 44 years in office emerged as a leading face of the progressive movement, and O'Connor, a President Trump-supporting political newcomer running on a "common-sense" platform.

Markey earned the right to defend his seat in the general election by doing what no Massachusetts politician has done before — defeat a Kennedy. Now O'Connor is looking to do what Congressman Joe Kennedy couldn't — hand Markey his first election loss.

It's an uphill battle for the 58-year-old Republican lawyer from Dover, who easily dispatched Shiva Ayyadurai in the state primary. O'Connor stands at a severe disadvantage in both name recognition and finances, and he's going to need to win a lot of voters outside his party to make the race competitive.

Republicans makes up less than 10 percent of the state electorate. A Massachusetts Republican hasn't won a U.S. Senate seat since Scott Brown's special election victory in 2010.

O'Connor's longshot bid got a shot in the arm Tuesday with an endorsement from Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican who doesn't always throw his support behind GOP players — including most notably the president — and is exceedingly popular among Democrats.

"Kevin is a business guy, a lawyer, someone who's lived and raised a family his whole life here in Massachusetts, and he will bring that feet-on-the-ground, boots-on-the-ground perspective to the job of U.S. senator on Capitol Hill," Baker said in a short video.

But Markey is riding a wave of momentum coming off the primary. The 74-year-old Malden Democrat solidified himself as a progressive darling benefitting from a lot of young energy, including from environmentalist groups heartened by the Green New Deal he co-sponsored with U.S. Rep. Alexandria-Cortez.

The candidates sparred in an early October virtual debate, which to O'Connor's disappointment was the only one they had. Markey's campaign has said more than one debate is unnecessary given the idealogical gulf between the two.

O'Connor has tried to turn Markey's progressive support against him, tying the senator to Ocasio-Cortez and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Markey returned the favor, affixing O'Connor to President Trump, who O'Connor says he backs even though there is still daylight between them.

Markey has voiced support for repealing the filibuster and expanding the Supreme Court — stances O'Connor argues has him outside the mainstream of his own party.

O'Connor also called the Green New Deal "extreme," but does say he believes in climate change.

Markey has also proposed a stimulus bill that includes sending $2,000 to each American for the duration of the pandemic, supports universal healthcare and wants Trump's tax cuts repealed.

O'Connor supports term limits — he said he wouldn't serve more than two terms if victorious — and wants to do away with Obamacare. When asked at the debate about systemic racism, he said he didn't "know what systemic racism means."