Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., speaks to the USA TODAY Editorial Board on July 10, 2019.

WASHINGTON - Democratic Massuchetts Rep. Seth Moulton announced he is running for U.S. Senate, challenging longtime incumbent Sen. Ed Markey for his seat.

Moulton’s challenge comes as young progressives are looking to knock off their Democratic elders in blue state primaries next year, arguing the veterans aren't doing enough to take the fight to President Donald Trump.

“We're in a crisis, and with everything we learned last election, I just don't believe Sen. Markey should be running for another six-year term at 80 years old," Moulton, 46, said in an Oct. 15 video clip announcing his candidacy. "Even more, I don't think someone who's been in Congress for half a century is the right person to meet this moment and win the future."

Markey, 79, was first elected to Congress in 1976, and served in the House of Representatives until 2013. He won the 2013 special election for Senate, where he has been serving ever since.

Moulton, a veteran who was first elected to Congress in 2014, argued in the video clip that the Democratic party has “clung to the status quo” and has “insisted on using the same old playbook.”

“The next generation will keep paying the cost if we don’t change course,” he said.

In 2020, Markey faced a high-profile primary challenge against young Democrat former Rep. Joe Kennedy III, who was then 39. Markey won by about 10 percentage points.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton launches Senate bid, challenging Ed Markey

Reporting by Sudiksha Kochi, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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