A former town councilor from West Springfield and candidate for Congress is considering running against U.S. Sen. Ed Markey as a Republican during the 2026 midterm elections.

Nathan Bech, 51, told the Herald this past week that he is “considering” challenging Markey, a 79-year-old who was first elected to public office in the early 1970s and has served in the U.S. Senate since 2013.

“I think he’s too old. I think he’s too old to run for another six-year term,” Bech said of Markey in an interview.

Bech, who also serves on the Massachusetts Republican State Committee and spent six years on the West Springfield town council, is at least the second Republican to weigh a campaign against Markey.

John Deaton, who unsuccessfully challenged U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren last year, has said he is

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