Received this e-mail today from U.S. Senator Ed Markey (D. MA) on behalf of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee which is supporting his re-election campaign:
This is U.S. Senator Ed Markey. My neck-and-neck election is in just 38 days.
I’m reaching out to ask you to support my campaign today, but first I hope you will give me a chance to explain why this race and your $3 donation are so important.
If you already understand what’s at stake, then please go ahead and make a $3 donation right now. Our movement needs grassroots support to take on the big money that is trying to defeat us.
The PCCC said when they endorsed me, "Senator Markey was the first senator to stand with AOC for a Green New Deal, one of the first elected leaders to fight for Net Neutrality, and the first senator to publicly reject campaign cash from the Fraternal Order of Police as they try to block police reform."
In a moment of crisis for our country and our planet, Joe Kennedy III decided to challenge me and risk setting back our progressive movement.
Kennedy has even said “[Ed] does an incredible job representing our Commonwealth in the United States Senate." In 2018, when asked whether he would challenge me, he said he had "a hard time understanding what those circumstances would be" -- even saying that he was a "strong supporter" of mine and “I expect that [Ed] will win."
Big-money forces are spending millions on TV ads to try to defeat me and drown out our voices. Nonetheless, polling shows that our race is in a dead heat -- well within the margin of error, and the momentum is on our side.
But the only way we can win this race for progressives is with lots and lots of small-dollar donations from people like you -- right now, to do what we need to do in the final 38 days. That’s why I need to ask:
Will you make a $3 contribution to my campaign to make sure we can defeat big-money forces and keep this seat for progressives? Your donation will send a powerful message about the strength of our progressive movement.
Look, this is the toughest race I’ve ever faced. The political insiders and pundits doubted us -- but it’s neck and neck. I’m proud to have the PCCC, Elizabeth Warren, the Sunrise Movement, AOC, and countless other progressives behind me.
I don’t back down from tough fights, and I know you don’t either. If this grassroots army is behind us, then I know that we will defeat the corporations and special interests that are so afraid of our ideas.
In solidarity,
-- Ed Markey
Also, Markey picked up a big endorsement today:
The Massachusetts Teachers Association announced Saturday that it was backing Markey in the Democratic primary on Sept. 1. In June, the American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts also said it was supporting Markey.
In a statement, MTA President Merrie Najimy called Markey a “true champion of public education and working families.”
“Now more than ever, we must elect leaders who will stand with us,” she said. “Ed Markey has an incredible record of advocating for policies that help students, educators and our communities, and Massachusetts needs him in the U.S. Senate to keep up that fight.”
Click here to donate to Markey’s re-election campaign.