Keller: Will 78-year-old Congressman's retirement cause 79-year-old Ed Markey to re-think re-election plans?
The opinions expressed below are Jon Keller's, not those of WBZ, CBS News or Paramount Global.
Is 78 years old too old to get the job done in Congress?
New York Congressman Jerry Nadler announced his retirement Tuesday. He's 78. So is it time for 79-year-old Senator Ed Markey to re-think his re-election plans in Massachusetts?
There is mounting pressure on aging Democrats. Nadler told the New York Times, "Watching the Biden thing really said something about the necessity for generational change in the party, and I think I want to respect that. [A younger successor] can maybe do better, can maybe help us more."
Nadler's announcement is the latest in a string of retirements by congressional Democrats, all of them over age 65, and it raises a question - should Markey be rethinking his run for another term next year?
Markey's lone primary challenger so far, a 38-year-old former teacher from Acton, said yes, the incumbent is not fighting hard enough.
"There are tactics and tools that he's used in previous Republican administrations that he's not using now. Why not?" asked Alex Rikleen. "What's he waiting for? Let's put some holds on some of these nominees who are doing immense damage."
But Markey built alliances with young party stars like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to help fend off Joe Kennedy's challenge five years ago. And with Congressmen Seth Moulton and Jake Auchinchloss sniffing around, but yet to jump in, that work may still be paying off.
"I think the lack of big-name primary competition shows that our group feels comfortable with Ed Markey serving us for the next six years," said Will Lombard of the Young Democrats of Massachusetts.
There were longstanding concerns about the impact of aging on former President Joe Biden, but no similar issues so far with Markey that we're aware of. But the flip side of Lombard's comment is that if one of Markey's younger colleagues, like Moulton or Auchinchloss, should jump in and go on the attack, younger voters may reconsider their comfort level with Markey.
Just ask former Rep. Mike Capuano what happened when Ayanna Pressley took it to him in their 2018 primary race.
