What’s happening: Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey fended off a primary challenge from Rep. Joe Kennedy III in a tightly watched race Tuesday seen by many as a referendum on the state of the Democratic Party.

Markey, who has served in Congress for more than 40 years, bucked a trend that has seen older, established Democrats lose primary races to younger challengers. He won by aligning himself with the left wing of the party and earning the endorsement of progressive stars like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who herself had unseated a long-serving Democratic representative in 2018.

Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey has fended off the highest-profile Democratic primary challenge of his decades in federal office, defeating the rising Rep. Joe Kennedy III, a member of the state's legendary political dynasty.

Kennedy conceded the contest nearly two and a half hours after polls closed Tuesday night. The Associated Press projected Markey as the winner a short time later.

Prior to this race, no member of the Kennedy family had lost an election in Massachusetts, according to the Cook Political Report.

Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey held onto his Senate seat, defeating a rising star from the Kennedy dynasty in the deep blue state’s Democratic primary Tuesday.

Rep. Joseph Patrick Kennedy III, who currently represents the state’s 4th Congressional District, called Mr. Markey to concede the race about two hours after polls closed, according to multiple reports.

Senator Ed Markey beat back a bid on Tuesday from Rep. Joe Kennedy to end his nearly 50 years in elected office, humbling the Democratic Party's family dynasty that had never before lost an election in Massachusetts.

Sen. Ed Markey (D) on Tuesday successfully fended off a challenge from Rep. Joe Kennedy III (D) in the Massachusetts Senate primary after facing what was initially seen as an uphill climb against a rising Democratic star and member of the most famous political family in the U.S.

Those close to Markey attribute his success to robust progressive support at the grassroots level as well as a slow and steady campaign strategy.

Joseph Kennedy III launched his U.S. Senate bid Saturday morning in the basement gymnasium of the East Boston Social Centers, paying homage to his family’s immigrant roots in the neighborhood while pledging to “show up” for Massachusetts as he embarks on what promises to be a marquee contest against incumbent Edward Markey.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., are preparing to introduce "Green New Deal” legislation -- marking a big step forward in the push to implement a massive package of big-government programs aimed at radically transforming the American economy.