Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) said Tuesday she will not launch a primary challenge to Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and will instead run next year for reelection to her U.S. House seat.
Why it matters: Markey, 79, has faced pressure to step aside amid a growing generational revolt in the Democratic party, with Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), 47, already running to unseat him.
- Unlike Pressley, 51, a high-profile member of the progressive "Squad," Moulton is known as a centrist.
- Pressley's decision will likely make it easier for Markey to consolidate the state's substantial progressive voting bloc.
What they're saying: "Hearing from so many people from throughout our Commonwealth encouraging me to run for the United States Senate was deeply humbling," Pressley said in a statement.
- She added: "But with our daughter in her last year at home before college and a district that has been in the crosshairs of this White House, I am certain that the Massachusetts 7th is where I belong in this moment."
- "That's why I'm running for re-election to the House of Representatives," Pressley said.
- Pressley's statement was first reported by the Boston Globe.
Between the lines: Polls have shown Pressley in a strong position against Markey and Moulton, with a Suffolk University poll last month even placing her narrowly ahead.
- But she is a close ideological ally of Markey and a run would have risked dividing the state's progressives at a time when Democrats' two ideological wings are locked in heated battles across the country.
