Markey, Moulton Clash in 3rd Final Debate as Polls Show 80-Year-Old Senator Up Double Digits
Updated
Updated · The Boston Globe · Aug 20
Markey, Moulton Clash in 3rd Final Debate as Polls Show 80-Year-Old Senator Up Double Digits
3 articles · Updated · The Boston Globe · Aug 20
Summary
Three apologies from Seth Moulton over past remarks on transgender athletes became a central flashpoint in the final Massachusetts Senate primary debate, while Ed Markey said trans girls should be allowed to compete and accused Moulton of politicizing children.
Double-digit Markey leads in two statewide polls raised the stakes for Moulton’s last major chance before the Sept. 1 primary, and he pressed his generational-change case by calling Markey’s confusion over AI tools like Siri and Claude “potentially disqualifying.”
Markey countered by stressing his record — “those are my laws on the books” — and repeatedly invoked endorsements from Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ayanna Pressley to reinforce his progressive credentials.
The two Democrats still agreed on several major issues, including opposing the Trump administration, abolishing ICE and ending the war in Iran, leaving the contest focused less on ideology than on age, judgment and who best represents the party.
Will a politician's basic technology habits derail their campaign, or is regulating artificial intelligence just like setting safety rules for cars?
How will the growing clash between strict state-level safety laws and federal innovation mandates shape the future of artificial intelligence oversight?