Summary
U.S. Representative Joe Kennedy III is running against Incumbent Ed Markey for the Democratic nomination.
U.S. Senator Ed Markey and Congressman Joe Kennedy have gotten most of the attention in the 2020 Massachusetts Democratic primary. But a third candidate remains in the race for Senate: Shannon Liss-Riordan. A labor attorney from Texas with a degree from Harvard, Liss-Riordan touts her experience representing workers against corporations like Uber, Starbucks, and American Airlines. She sat down with WAMC to talk about why she got into the contentious primary.
WAMC 2/19/20
OnAir Post: Massachusetts – US Senate 2020 Election
News
Boston Herald , – September 24, 2020
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Kevin O’Connor is trailing Ed Markey by 10 points in a poll he commissioned, but the first-time candidate says that places him within striking distance of the progressive incumbent.
A Remington Research Group poll of 907 likely Massachusetts voters, paid for by the O’Connor campaign, gives the GOP rival ground to make up with just over a month to go.
“This shows that (Markey) is weak,” O’Connor said. “This shows that he’s beatable.”
It’s a lot of optimism from a candidate trailing his opponent by double digits, but it’s still a notably thin margin when considering Republican candidates historically find much wider margins between themselves and their Democratic challengers in Massachusetts.
WBUR News, – September 18, 2020
Kevin O’Connor is picking up where Rep. Joe Kennedy III left off: hoping to convince Massachusetts voters that Sen. Ed Markey has been in Washington too long and spends too little time in Massachusetts.
“He’s been there for 44 years,” O’Connor told WBUR. “Congressman Kennedy presented to the Massachusetts voters — and I will present to the Massachusetts voters — that relative to the amount of time he’s lived in the Washington bubble, he’s accomplished very little.”
Boston Herald, – September 13, 2020
The Green New Deal helped U.S. Sen. Edward Markey fell a Kennedy. Now his Republican opponent, Kevin O’Connor, is trying to weaponize it against him.
“O’Connor’s methodology is to take the sword Markey wielded in the Democratic primary — ‘Medicare for All,’ the Green New Deal, AOC, progressive policies — and use that against him in the general election,” Suffolk University Political Research Center Director David Paleologos said.
“Strategically, it’s probably a wise move,” for O’Connor, Paleologos said. “But it’s definitely a challenge for him.”
WCVB Channel 5 Boston – September 2, 2020 (01:59)
Ed Markey
Current Position: US Senator since 1997
Affiliation: Democrat
Candidate: 2020 US Senator
Senator Edward J. Markey, a consumer champion and national leader on energy, environmental protection and telecommunications policy, has a prolific legislative record on major issues across the policy spectrum and a deep commitment to improving the lives of the people of Massachusetts and our country.
Whether the issue is climate change, clean energy, safeguarding privacy, nuclear non-proliferation, investor protection or preserving an open Internet that spurs competition and consumer choice, Senator Markey stands up for the priorities and values of Massachusetts.
For more information, see this Ed Markey post.
Kevin O’Connor
Current Position: Attorney
Affiliation: Republican
Candidate: 2020 US Senator
Kevin O”Connor is running for U.S. Senate to bring much needed change to Washington. Unlike in Massachusetts, where a Republican governor collaborates with a largely Democratic legislature, Washington politicians focus incessantly on creating and exploiting partisan conflict. Kevin believes the dysfunction in Congress is fueled by professional politicians who feel entitled to power and will do just about anything to keep it. That’s why he supports term limits and pledges to serve no more than two terms in the Senate.
Kevin will focus on achievable solutions for the issues that matter most to Massachusetts. He will be a champion for education and our free enterprise system. He will stand up to the deficit spenders in both parties, promote affordable health care and a sustainable environment, and support a “peace through strength” foreign policy. And Kevin will always insist on the fair and impartial application of our Constitution and laws for all, regardless of station in life.
For more information, see this Kevin O’Connor post.
Issues
Civil Rights
ED MARKEY
N/A
KEVIN O’CONNOR
Second Amendment
Kevin O’Connor supports a citizen’s right to bear arms. Massachusetts has strong gun laws, including mandatory background checks for people who choose to own firearms. Reducing gun violence is a crucial priority, and to that end Kevin supports full enforcement of safety standards and ownership regulations.
Democracy
ED MARKEY
N/A
KEVIN O’CONNOR
Government Reform
Kevin O’Connor supports term limits and has pledged to serve no more than two terms. Kevin also supports reforming the filibuster so that it can’t be weaponized by either party to stall progress and score political points. Votes should be timely, transparent, and more issues should be taken up as narrowly targeted pieces of legislation. The omnibus bills allow too much gamesmanship, and our country deserves better.
Elections
Election integrity must be preserved, and Kevin O’Connor is committed to ensuring that every vote counts.
When the pandemic hit, power brokers on Beacon Hill refused to create reasonable ballot access rules. Kevin fought that injustice all the way to the State Supreme Judicial Court, and he won.
Kevin also supports continuing the Electoral College system for presidential elections.
Economy
ED MARKEY
Jobs & Economy
Competition is Senator Markey’s economic mantra, and his pro-competition policies have benefited job creation in Massachusetts and throughout the country. Senator Markey believes Congress must continue working toward enacting a more progressive tax code, make targeted cuts to defense spending and nuclear weapons, put an end to unnecessary oil subsidies, and the expand innovative programs in Medicare that improve the quality of health care for beneficiaries. Senator Markey also believes we must make smart investments now that will create jobs and grow our economy. In the Senate, Ed is working to create jobs in ways that emphasize areas in which Massachusetts excels: education; investment in high-tech, medical, and clean energy industries; and strong support for the teachers, first responders and union workers that form the backbone of our communities. As a member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship and Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Senator Markey plays a key role in the oversight of American consumer-related and business issues.
KEVIN O’CONNOR
Taxes
Kevin O’Connor will fight for tax reforms that benefit families and industries here in Massachusetts. He opposes the drastic and burdensome tax increases proposed for gasoline on Beacon Hill.
Trade
America First does not mean isolated from the rest of the world. I want our companies to profit from our relationships around the world, and part of that equation is leveling the playing field in regards to our imports from countries with dismal labor standards.
Environment
ED MARKEY
Energy, Climate Change & Environment
Senator Markey is a national leader on energy, climate change, and the environment. While serving in the House of Representatives, Markey was the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee and a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Markey also served as the Chairman of the Select Committee on Global Warming & Energy Independence. He was the House co-author of the only comprehensive climate change bill to ever pass a chamber of Congress, and was the principal House author of the 2007 fuel economy law, the Appliance Efficiency Act of 1987, and the law that established the Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve.
KEVIN O’CONNOR
Environment
Climate change is real and especially impactful on our coastal communities, but the Green New Deal would be a disaster for our country. We need to tackle climate change using technology, and be the global leader in the green industry. The Green New Deal will wreck the American economy and stifle the necessary innovation we need to actually affect positive change on environmental issues.
Energy
Kevin O’Connor knows nothing is more important for American families than clean air and clean water. Federal policy must protect our natural resources. Kevin O’Connor supports federal energy policy that strives for sustainability, renewability, and self reliance. International agreements must be a part of our clean earth strategy, but such agreements must not disadvantage American innovation in world trade.
Health Care
ED MARKEY
Ensuring the health and wellness of all Americans is a guiding principle for Senator Markey’s work in Congress. Senator Markey believes health care is a right, not a privilege and has worked to ensure that all Americans, especially children, have access to affordable, quality health care. He has fought to protect and strengthen Medicare and Medicaid benefits for the most vulnerable in society. He also has been a champion for health and medical research, consumer protection, the disabled, and the fight against Alzheimer’s disease.
Senator Markey has a long history of supporting federal research in science and technology. On a yearly basis, Senator Markey advocates during appropriation season for increased funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) responsible for funding various biomedical and basic science research projects, which help us better understand the origin of disease and assist developing cures.
KEVIN O’CONNOR
Every American deserves access to affordable health insurance. Socialized medicine, however, will increase costs and reduce the quality of care. The plan supported by the Democrats in this race eliminates private insurance, increases the federal budget by 60 percent, and costs taxpayers $32 trillion.
Kevin O’Connor favors increasing competition, expanding premium tax credits for middle-income families, and moving more subsidy-eligible individuals into Marketplace plans.
Immigration
ED MARKEY
Senator Markey is committed to fighting the Trump administration’s inhumane immigration policies. He witnessed the cruelty of Trump’s family separation policy and the heartbreaking conditions of migrant detention facilities when he visited the border in 2018 and 2019 and spoke with detained immigrants. After his 2019 trip, Senator Markey demanded a review of CBP’s care and custody of immigrants.
Senator Markey has consistently worked to defend immigrant and refugee communities in Massachusetts and across the country. He has tirelessly fought for protections for Massachusetts’s TPS recipients from Haiti, El Salvador, Honduras, and elsewhere. When the Trump administration decided to end consideration of medical deferred action requests for sick immigrants, Senator Markey led the effort to reverse the administration’s decision, which it did following Senator Markey’s congressional inquiry. He has fought the Trump State Department’s “public charge rule” that prevent would immigrants from receiving vital healthcare, nutritional assistance, and housing programs, and led the opposition against the Trump Homeland Security Department’s plan to collect DNA samples from migrants which he said is intended to “vilify and stigmatize immigrants.” Senator Markey has also long fought for protections for Dreamers and supports a pathway to citizenship for the millions of immigrants who are living in the shadows.
In addition to his efforts on behalf of our immigrant communities, Senator Markey has also worked to defend our refugee communities and make America a leader in refugee resettlement. As President Trump has lowered the U.S. refugee admission cap to the lowest level in decades, Senator Markey introduced the GRACE Act which would prevent any administration from setting the refugee admission ceiling below 95,000 in a given fiscal year. He also introduced first of its kind legislation to address the refugee crisis created by climate change.
In a comprehensive report, “Under the Radar: The Trump’s Administration’s Stealth Attack on the U.S. Immigration System”, the Senator documented the multiple executive orders, memoranda, guidance, rulemaking, and informal directives during the first two years of his administration that President Donald Trump has used to surreptitiously remake our immigration system.
KEVIN O’CONNOR
Strong borders mean a safer nation.
“We’re a nation of laws, and it’s government’s responsibility to enforce those laws,” Kevin O’Connor says. “And it’s Congress’s responsibility to make laws that are fair and just.”
Both Congressman Kennedy and Senator Markey support so-called “sanctuary” jurisdictions where immigration laws are ignored. If the system is broken, it’s their job to fix it. “As your Senator, I’ll work for strong, enforceable immigration law.”
Infrastructure
ED MARKEY
N/A
KEVIN O’CONNOR
Despite bipartisan consensus on the need for infrastructure legislation, Washington remains paralyzed. Modernizing our public assets–like transportation, power, water and sewage treatment, and broadband access–is critical to economic growth and international competitiveness.
We can’t afford to dither any longer. The infrastructure affects the health, safety and security of all Americans.
Kevin O’Connor will make action on infrastructure a top priority.
Safety
Safety
ED MARKEY
Homeland Security & Public Safety
Senator Markey is a leading advocate for port, rail, and aviation security, as well as for enhancing the security of nuclear, chemical, and biological materials, and increased scrutiny of public health protocols.
KEVIN O’CONNOR
Law Enforcement
Kevin O’Connor says, “Defunding the police is a bad idea.”
Kevin supports law enforcement as an important component of safe communities, and has said recent calls to defund the police are misguided. Kevin supports police departments in their efforts to be more inclusive and diverse and will support grant programs that encourage more training and support for officers on the street. “The murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis horrified me. America can not tolerate that kind of brutality,” he said.
Kevin O’Connor supports qualified immunity for public safety personnel, as well as for other government employees.
