In a major win for progressives, Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey has defeated Congressmember Joe Kennedy III in the Democratic Senate primary. Markey is the co-author of the Green New Deal and a leading advocate in Washington for combating climate change. Joe Kennedy, who was endorsed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, becomes the first member of the Kennedy dynasty to lose an election in Massachusetts. Markey gave a victory speech on Tuesday night.

Sen. Ed Markey: “There will be no peace, no justice and no prosperity, unless we stop the march to climate destruction. This is a matter of life and death. The very future of our civilization depends upon it. There is no time for simply doing what we can. There is no time for compromise on the existential threat to our time. We must pass a Green New Deal.”

In another closely watched Massachusetts race, Congressmember Richard Neal, the chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, has defeated progressive challenger Alex Morse. Neal benefited from a homophobic smear campaign that targeted Morse, the openly gay mayor of the city of Holyoke