Sen. Ed Markey won Massachusetts’ Democratic Senate primary Tuesday, turning back a challenge from Rep. Seth Moulton that centered on the 80-year-old incumbent’s age.

For progressives who argued that political ideology, not generation, should determine the party’s future, the result marks a significant victory.

Markey’s win puts him on track for a third full term in the Senate and demonstrates the durability of the progressive coalition that helped him survive another generational challenge six years ago.

“Tonight is a testament to the power of the progressive movement of our nation,” Markey told his supporters during his victory speech. “It is a progressive movement fueled by young people demanding more from their leaders, and it’s your voices that are the ones we need to hear right now.”

Moulton, 47, made the case for new leadership the centerpiece of his campaign, arguing that Democrats could not criticize aging Republican leaders while refusing to confront the issue within their own ranks.

But that argument failed to overcome Markey’s standing with the Democratic voters Moulton needed most — including young voters themselves.

Moulton called Markey to congratulate him and pledged his “full support” during his concession speech.

“We must stand united this November to protect our democracy and defeat Donald Trump,” Moulton said at his watch party in Dorchester, Massachusetts.

Polling in the closing days showed Markey holding a commanding advantage, including among younger Democrats. A final Emerson College Polling survey found Markey leading Moulton 60% to 33% among likely Democratic primary voters, with voters under 40 breaking decisively toward Markey.

The result complicated a broader debate inside the Democratic Party over generational change following years of concern about the age of its leaders. In Massachusetts, many voters appeared to separate Markey’s age from his politics, viewing the longtime senator as more closely aligned with a younger generation of progressives than his younger opponent.

Markey leaned heavily into that contrast. A longtime champion of climate action, labor rights and Medicare for All, he emphasized his partnership with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., on the Green New Deal and portrayed himself as an ally of younger activists rather than a barrier to their rise.

He also assembled some of the progressive movement’s biggest names behind him. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders and Rep. Ayanna Pressley rallied with Markey in Dorchester during the final weekend of the campaign, reinforcing his argument that his decades in Washington had not separated him from the party’s progressive base.

“You have a fundamental choice to make. A choice between progressive values or the status quo,” Markey told supporters at the rally.

Markey’s win echoes his 2020 primary victory over then-Rep. Joe Kennedy III, another substantially younger Massachusetts Democrat who sought to make the case for a new generation of leadership. Markey prevailed in that contest by transforming himself from a longtime Washington incumbent into a favorite of young progressive activists.

This time, Moulton sought to make age itself a more explicit dividing line. The six-term congressman and Marine veteran argued that Democrats need leaders equipped to confront emerging challenges, including artificial intelligence, housing affordability and the economic pressures facing younger Americans. Markey countered that experience remained an asset and that his record demonstrated he could translate progressive priorities into policy.

Markey has said another six-year term would be his last. His win Tuesday suggests that, at least in the Bay State, Democratic voters were not ready to force that generational transition before then.

Massachusetts’ heavily Democratic lean makes Markey the favorite in November against Republican John Deaton, who faced no opposition in the GOP primary.

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