Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) on Sunday endorsed his former colleague, Rep. Joe Kennedy III (D-Mass.) in his primary challenge to Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.).
“I’ve known Joe Kennedy as a friend, as a colleague in Congress and as a champion for the values we’re most proud of as Democrats. But it’s the times I’ve seen him in Texas that have made the biggest impression on me, and why I proudly endorse him for U.S. Senate,” the former congressman and presidential candidate tweeted.
“One of the first times I saw Joe in Texas was after Hurricane Harvey hit Houston & surrounding areas. Some had lost their homes, others had lost everything, and they needed help. Joe was on the ground working w/ local leaders to connect them with federal and state services,” O’Rourke added. “He later came back down to help us campaign against Ted Cruz. The conventional wisdom said we had no shot. But he believed in our grassroots campaign & lent a hand at a time that we really needed it. I saw him do that for countless Congressional candidates across the country.”
The Bay State’s Democratic Senate primary is scheduled for Sept. 1. Kennedy has been endorsed by several current and former House colleagues, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) and the late Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.).
Markey, meanwhile, has secured the endorsements of progressive figures such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), as well as more establishment party figures like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)