Months of speculation over whether U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss would challenge incumbent Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., for his seat next year have been answered.

Auchincloss, 37, will seek reelection to the House of Representatives, avoiding a primary contest with the 79-year-old Markey, he told the Boston Globe on Wednesday.

Instead, Auchincloss, D-4th District, will focus his time on running Majority Democrats , the coalition of Democratic representatives and senators he co-founded this summer in a bid to reshape the party’s image and platform.

“I am not going to challenge Ed,” Auchincloss told the Globe. “After November, I spent six months digging into how I could best help — the country is in crisis, the party is in the doldrums. Ultimately, I decided I could have maximum impact as

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