PM elections committee chair was quoted in Boston.com’s Nik DeCosta-Klipa’s article “Ed Markey ‘ain’t no Bernie.’ But left-wing groups are rallying behind him all the same.”

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And then there’s the actual substance of the Green New Deal resolution, which calls for a transformative shift toward clean energy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Jonathan Cohn, the issues chair for Progressive Massachusetts, says climate change has become “especially salient” for younger voters and that Markey has been doing “solid work” in the space for years.

“It’s much to his credit that he’s one of the few people in the Senate who actually understands environmental policy,” Cohn said. ….

Cohn says Markey — who long wielded corny acronyms as part of his communications strategy — has developed an “older dad joke personality” that has endeared him to the younger generation. And his campaign has played up that perception. …

“His Iraq War vote was bad,” Cohn said. “But he’s not a hawk in the same way as some of his colleagues are.” …

Markey’s supporters are not convinced. And if their candidate loses, they wonder what happens to the movement to address climate change before it’s too late. Even if the Green New Deal — which framed racial and economic justice as focuses along with fighting climate change — continues to have advocates in the Senate like Sanders and Warren, the defeat of its co-author could have ripple effects for the movement, according to Cohn.

In addition to losing Markey’s expertise, he said a Kennedy win would effectively be disincentive for other Democrats to prioritize climate change

“It sends a really bad message about what it means to be somebody who stakes their ground on environmental policy,” Cohn said, noting that there will be a lot of competing priorities — and proverbial fires — to address in 2021 if Democrats retake the White House and Senate.