Ed Markey

Markey was born on July 11, 1946, in Malden, Massachusetts. He received a B.A. from Boston College in 1968 and a J.D. from Boston College Law School in 1972, and served in the U.S. Army Reserve.⁠[1]

Markey was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives, where he served two terms representing Malden and Melrose.⁠[1]

Markey was first elected to the U.S. House in 1976 and served there for 37 years, including as dean of the Massachusetts delegation, ranking member of the Natural Resources Committee, chairman of the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming (2007–2010) and chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Energy and Environment. He was chair or ranking member of the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet for about 20 years and served on the Homeland Security Committee from 2003 to 2009.⁠[1][2]

On energy and the environment, he was the principal House author of the 2007 fuel economy law, advanced the 1987 appliance efficiency act and the law creating the Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve, and co-authored the 2009 Waxman-Markey climate bill.⁠[1]

On telecommunications and the internet, he advanced the 1992 Cable Act, a 1993 law moving more than 200 MHz of spectrum to commercial use, the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), and introduced the Internet Freedom Preservation Act, the first net neutrality bill in Congress. He also advanced a post-9/11 mandate to screen air and maritime cargo and a 1986 amendment banning underground nuclear testing.⁠[1]

In June 2013, after John Kerry left the Senate, Markey won a special election to the U.S. Senate. He is the longest-serving member of the Massachusetts congressional delegation, serves on the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee and is ranking member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.⁠[1][2][3]

Markey co-sponsored the Green New Deal and supports Medicare for All. In his previous Senate run he defeated former U.S. Representative Joseph Kennedy III.⁠[2][3]

In the September 2026 Democratic primary Markey defeated U.S. Representative Seth Moulton by 65% to 35%, with endorsements from Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. He said the win reflected “the power of the progressive movement.”⁠[4][2][3]

On the night of November 3, 2026, shortly after the polls closed, the Associated Press called the race for Markey over Republican John Deaton, giving him another six-year term; CBS NewsCBS NewsCBS News is the news organization of the U.S. CBS system, part of Paramount, providing news coverage through television, the web and streaming. Its history extends from radio newsgathering to television and digital platforms; its signature programs include CBS Evening News, 60 Minutes and Face the Nation, and CBS News 24/7 is its streaming news service.Open the full entry projected the same result. Markey, 80, has said this will be his final term, saying, “it’s not your age that matters, it’s the age of your ideas.”⁠[2][3][5]

Markey has said his “No. 1 bill” is the SPARK Act, which would expand access to capital for underserved entrepreneurs; his stated priorities also include universal child care, affordable housing, fare-free transit, free public college and Medicare for All.⁠[3]

Office of U.S. Senator Edward Markey: Official website: https://www.markey.senate.gov/ (opens in a new window).⁠[1]

X: Public account: https://x.com/SenMarkey (opens in a new window).⁠[1]

YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is Google’s video-sharing and creator platform, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and acquired by Google in 2006. Built around video uploading, viewing, and creator earnings, the platform has developed Shorts, YouTube Music, Premium, YouTube TV, and products for children, and is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States.Open the full entry: Public channel: https://www.youtube.com/repmarkey (opens in a new window).⁠[1]