AIKEN, South Carolina — Elizabeth Warren is sticking with her endorsement of fellow Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey amid rumors that Rep. Joe Kennedy III is eyeing a primary challenge against him in 2020, but she had kind words for the young Kennedy.
“I endorsed Ed Markey six months ago, seven months ago,” Warren told reporters in Aiken, South Carolina, on Saturday. “Eddie has been a great partner in the Senate.”
“Joe Kennedy is also a great partner,” Warren continued. “He and [his wife] Lauren were both my students, and I worked with Joe before either one of us was in politics and have worked with him ever since he’s been in Congress. He’s really an amazing person.”
The New York Times reported Saturday that Kennedy, 38, would decide in the coming weeks whether to challenge Markey, 73, citing a senior Democratic official. Aides for Kennedy did not deny involvement in poll testing Kennedy’s prospects against Markey. A group intended to draft Kennedy for the race was formed after the poll was conducted.
“This is not about the incumbent. It’s not about Sen. Markey. We admire his public service over the past 43 years,” Jamie Hoag, who helped launch the group to draft Kennedy, told Politico. “This is about Joe Kennedy and why we think he would be the best fit for the U.S. Senate.”
Representatives for Markey say that he will not be chased into retirement rather than end his long career in public office with a primary defeat.
Kennedy is serving his third term in Congress, representing a district that encompasses some Western Boston suburbs and stretches south to areas outside of Providence in neighboring Rhode Island. Markey is serving his first term as a senator, having previously represented northern suburbs in Boston in Congress for 37 years.
Kennedy is a grandnephew of former President John F. Kennedy. His father, John F. Kennedy II, was a congressman for 12 years, retiring in 1999.
