Seth Moulton closing gap on progressive Democrat Ed Markey in Massachusetts Senate primary

A new poll shows the race tightening for the Democratic primary in Massachusetts, with challenger Rep. Seth Moulton closing in on Sen. Ed Markey.

The race is one of the most hotly contested primaries in the country, with the more progressive Markey having led by as much as 20 points in previous polls, according to Axios.

Markey, 79, who has held his seat since 2013, has the backing of the Democratic establishment, with the 47-year-old congressman looking to unseat him.

Just last month, Markey comfortably led Moulton 47-30% in a Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll, according to Boston.com.

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Markey has the backing of Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Ayanna Pressley, while Moulton, who is considered more centrist, has been endorsed by groups like VoteVets PAC and the Massachusetts Teamsters.

In the new Emerson College poll that shows Markey leading Mouton 37-32%, 29% of voters remain undecided. Only 2% of voters back other candidates in the race.

"Senator Markey leads the Democratic primary by 13 points among registered Democrats, while Rep. Moulton holds a 38% to 32% edge among unenrolled voters," Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said. "Markey leads women 37% to 29%, while men are essentially split, with 38% backing Moulton and 37% Markey."

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The poll was taken on May 3 and 4 and included 451 likely Democratic primary voters. It also notably has a 4.5% margin of error.

Markey also has a 7% advantage among voters under 50, 33-to 26%, with voters over 50 years old split 40% for Markey and 38% for Moulton.

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"Notably, groups that are more favorable toward Markey, including women and young voters, are also more undecided than their counterparts; women are ten points more undecided than men (33% to 23%), and 39% of voters under 50 are undecided compared to 21% of voters over 50," Kimball added.

The poll also showed Markey and Moulton both as less favorable than Warren, with Markey matching Warren’s unfavorable ratings of 35%. Moulton’s unfavorable rating was lower at 26%.

The primary will be held on Sept. 1.