U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, a moderate Massachusetts Democrat, said Wednesday that he will challenge U.S. Sen. Edward Markey for the Democratic nomination in next year's Senate race, arguing it's time for the party to embrace a new generation of leadership.

Markey, who would be 80 before his third six-year term would begin, was first elected to Congress in 1976. He's been a senator since 2013, when he won a special election to fill the seat vacated when Sen. John Kerry became Secretary of State.

The announcement makes the race one of the most anticipated primary contests in the country and pits two of the heavily Democratic state's top politicians against one another. Markey most recently fended off a challenge in 2020 from Rep. Joe Kennedy III in the Senate primary.

"While Congressman

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