President Barack Obama delivered an energetic stump speech for Democratic Senate candidate Ed Markey Wednesday, praising the longtime U.S. representative as a reliable liberal with “a track record you can trust.”
Speaking at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in Roxbury Crossing, Massachusetts, President Obama declared “I need Ed Markey in the United States Senate.”
“The fact of the matter is that a whole bunch of Republicans out there are not interested in getting things done. They think compromise is a dirty word,” Obama said. “Because of that attitude, we’ve got to have some Democrats like Ed Markey who will stand up and do the right thing.”
Borrowing heavily from his own 2012 stump speech, the president then ticked though his legislative agenda, highlighting plans such as passing comprehensive immigration reform, successfully implementing Obamacare, limiting gun violence, expanding early education, tackling climate change, and — after name-checking popular Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) — reining in big banks.
“The history of senators from Massachusetts is that they fight for people, they fight for working people…they fight for future generations…No one is better suited to continue that legacy than Ed Markey because Ed is one of you,” the president declared. “Ed’s got a track record you can trust.”
Although many observers believed that Markey could be vulnerable to an upset similar to former senator Scott Brown’s stunning victory over Martha Coakley in 2010, the latest polling of the race suggests that the 18-term congressman is on track for a comfortable victory. Markey currently leads his Republican opponent, businessman Gabriel Gomez, by 9.3 percent in Real Clear Politics’ poll average.
Still, taking nothing for granted, Markey has filled his schedule with events alongside high-profile Democrats. In addition to today’s rally with President Obama, Markey appeared with Vice President Joe Biden, former vice president Al Gore, and Massachusetts political icon Vicki Kennedy at a fundraiser in Washington on Tuesday night. Additionally, on Saturday Markey will campaign with former president Bill Clinton in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Massachusetts’ special election will be held on June 25th.
