LYNN — With the Democratic primary approaching, U.S. Sen. Ed Markey brought his reelection campaign to Lynn, where he pledged to fight for federal investment in the city and sought to turn out voters in his race against U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, on Sunday morning.

Markey joined Mayor Jared C. Nicholson and a group of local and state officials for a campaign rally before approximately 70 supporters headed out to knock on doors during the final stretch of the primary campaign.

The senator centered much of his pitch on the similarities between Lynn and his hometown of Malden, arguing that his working-class upbringing has shaped the priorities he would carry into another six-year term.

“Malden and Lynn, we’re sister cities,” Markey said. “We’re the same place in so many ways. Same people, same aspirations, same dreams.”

Markey recalled traveling to Lynn and Nahant beaches as a child after his family bought a car, saying his family did not have a summer home or the means to take extravagant vacations. He said children growing up in communities such as Lynn and Malden should have the same opportunities to succeed as those from wealthier families.

He said that continued federal investment in Lynn could help the city build on that growth without becoming unaffordable for longtime residents.

Markey said he expects to serve as a senior member of the Senate committee overseeing infrastructure if reelected and called for a new $1 trillion federal infrastructure package, saying he wants Lynn to benefit from funding for transportation and other projects.

Nicholson said the city needs a federal partner on several longstanding issues, including King’s Beach, affordable housing, and support for Lynn’s immigrant population.

“We are doing everything that we can in this community, and we know that the senator is up against a lot down in Washington,” Nicholson said. “But you know he’s standing shoulder to shoulder with us in supporting our immigrant community.”

Immigration became one of the dominant issues of the morning as several Lynn officials pointed to Markey’s work with the city and criticized the Trump administration’s immigration policies.

City Council President Coco Alinsug told the crowd that he came to the United States at 23 and was undocumented for a period of time. He credited political leaders who supported immigrants with helping him build a life in the country and eventually become the first person of color to serve as Lynn City Council president.

“The fight is not over,” Alinsug said. “We still have a long way to go.”

Councilor-at-Large Brian LaPierre pointed to the case of a Lynn Public Schools paraprofessional who faced possible deportation earlier this year, saying Markey’s office was among those local officials contacted for help.

“When we reelect Ed Markey next Tuesday, we aren’t just getting Ed,” LaPierre said. “We’re getting a solid, competent, effective staff.”

Rep. Dan Cahill said Markey and his staff also provided information to state lawmakers as they worked on immigration protection legislation, particularly on the relationship between state law and federal immigration enforcement.

Markey said he would continue fighting federal immigration policies he argued are harming families and children in communities such as Lynn. He also criticized the Trump administration’s opposition to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and its policies affecting transgender people.

The senator framed those issues as part of a broader argument over who has access to what he repeatedly called the “American dream.”

“What Donald Trump is doing, every single day, is attacking the dreams of the kids sitting on their porches in Malden and Lynn,” Markey said.

Markey also said federal cuts to Medicaid, Affordable Care Act programs, and education would hit Lynn particularly hard and pledged to work to restore that funding.

Several speakers on Sunday pushed back on criticism of Markey’s age.

School Committee member Tristan Smith directly addressed the issue, noting that he is young both in politics and in life, before endorsing Markey based on his record.

“I look at your character, I look at your consistency, I look at your values, and I can say that I need Ed Markey in the United States Senate,” Smith said.

Cahill took a more pointed approach, comparing arguments about Markey’s age to saying a tall person could not understand or represent someone who is short.

“If you think that’s a ridiculous argument, well, then you’re with me,” Cahill said. “I don’t care if you’re tall or short. I don’t care what your ethnicity is. I don’t care what your age is. I don’t care what God you worship or if you don’t worship at all. What I care about is how you vote.”

The event also brought criticism of Moulton from state Sen. Joan Lovely, who condemned his attempt to link Markey’s campaign to Jeffrey Epstein.

Lovely said the issue was significant to her because she survived sexual abuse as a child. She called Moulton’s attack “reprehensible” and pointed to Markey’s work in the Senate to protect children from online exploitation.

“I was deeply disappointed and frankly crushed when Rep. Moulton tried to tie the Markey campaign to Jeffrey Epstein,” she said.

She continued, “I’ve worked very hard in the state legislature to make positive change, and so has Ed as our U.S. senator, and he’s done that to protect our children from exploitation online, with a very important bill that he got passed and that he continues to work on to strengthen.”

Markey closed his remarks by calling on supporters to spend the final days before the Sept. 1 primary encouraging voters to turn out.

“If you have my back for the next nine days,” he said. “I will have your back for the next six years.”

The post Sen. Markey finds Common ground in Lynn appeared first on Itemlive.

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