Joe Kennedy's once-promising Massachusetts Senate primary challenge might be a bust, polls show

Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-Mass.) doesn't look like he'll be getting a promotion after all.

When Kennedy announced his Democratic primary challenge to Sen. Ed Markey, there seemed to be a chance his more centrist bid might pan out, and he even got House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) endorsement. But more and more polls keep putting Markey back on top, including two released Wednesday just days before primary ballots are counted.

Markey, a progressive and co-author of the Green New Deal, has the support of 52 percent of likely Massachusetts Democratic Primary voters, a poll from the UMass Lowell Center for Public Opinion shows. Just 40 percent said they'd vote for Kennedy, putting Markey safely over Kennedy even if the 6 percent of undecided voters in the poll went in the challenger's favor.

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Another poll released Wednesday from the progressive think tank Data for Progress meanwhile gives Markey an 8-point advantage over Kennedy. Markey gets 46 percent support to Kennedy's 38 among likely Democratic primary voters, though a large 16 percent said they remain undecided.

Earlier, albeit limited, polls indicated Markey and Kennedy's race was close, and some even gave Kennedy a sizable lead. Massachusetts' Senate primary election is Sept. 1, and early voting is already open.

UMass Lowell surveyed 800 likely Massachusetts Democratic primary voters online from Aug. 13-21, with a 4.1 percent margin of error. Data for Progress surveyed 732 likely Massachusetts Democratic primary voters between Aug. 24 and 25 using text-to-web and panel responses, with a 4 percent margin of error.