Ed Markey Defends Trans Athletes in 2026 Senate Primary Against 80-Year-Old Incumbent's Challenger
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 30
Ed Markey Defends Trans Athletes in 2026 Senate Primary Against 80-Year-Old Incumbent's Challenger
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 30
Summary
Tuesday’s Massachusetts Senate primary has turned into a sharp fight over transgender rights, with Ed Markey making support for trans athletes a central campaign message against Rep. Seth Moulton.
Markey said “trans athletes should be able to play” and accused Moulton of having “threw trans kids under the bus” after the congressman blamed Democrats’ 2024 loss partly on transgender issues.
Moulton defended those remarks for months before expressing some contrition this month, giving Markey an opening to cast his rival as out of step with Massachusetts voters.
The clash stands out because many prominent Democrats, including likely 2028 contenders such as Gavin Newsom and Pete Buttigieg, have recently backed away from defending transgender athletes in girls’ and women’s sports.
At 80, Markey is using the issue to draw a broader contrast with both a more moderate challenger and a national Democratic Party still struggling with a Republican-driven cultural wedge.