Ed Markey is an American politician serving as the junior United States senator from the state of Massachusetts, a seat he has held since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he served 20 terms (18 full, two partial) as the U.S. representative for Massachusetts's 7th congressional district from 1976 to 2013. Before that, he was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1973 to 1976. When Senator Patrick Leahy retired in 2023, Markey became the dean of New England's Congressional delegation. In 2013, after John Kerry was appointed United States Secretary of State, Markey was elected to serve out the remainder of Kerry's Senate term in a 2013 special election. Markey defeated Stephen Lynch in the Democratic primary and Republican Gabriel E. Gomez in the general election. He was elected to a full term in the Senate in 2014. Markey fended off a primary challenge from Joseph Kennedy III and was reelected in 2020 by a wide margin. Markey is a progressive who has focused on climate change and energy policy and chaired the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming from 2007 to 2011. He is the Senate author of the Green New Deal. He is now the longest-serving Democrat in Congress, having served since 1976. His progressive policies have led to widespread support among young voters. The Hill has called him "an icon to Gen Z activists". Markey is running for reelection in 2026, the oldest Democratic senator to do so. He will be 80 years old on election day.