(NECN: Alison King) - Ed Markey's first public appearance since being sworn in last Tuesday was a tour of Mass Challenge, a venture that supports early stage entrepreneurs, along with the senior Senator from Massachusetts - with just seven months on the job - Elizabeth Warren.
At a Q & A following the event, Markey said, "I'm the junior senator. And I've been on the job five days so. This is the first place that Elizabeth and I have come together. Just so you know that."
"We're start up Senators," Warren chimed in.
"But we're the hardest working Senatorial delegation in America," Markey said.
The new guard stands in stark contrast to the duo that represented Massachusetts in the Senate for decades: Ted Kennedy and John Kerry.
Both were former presidential candidates, they were senators who brought home the bacon and whose opinions and agendas could capture the attention of the nation.
Now, out of 100 senators, Warren and Markey are ranked 97 and 100, respectively.
UMass Boston Professor Paul Watanabe said, "One would think that Massachusetts clout has been significantly reduced ... I think there is a couple of things, however, that work against that."
Politics
Watanabe says first, Warren and Markey are both in the Senate's majority party - a key distinction and, secondly, both Warren in financial and banking areas and Markey in telecommunications and the environment, bring strong expertise to the Senate which can trump seniority.
"They're not just any issues, they're issues that are really hot button, top of the agenda issues that the nation and the Senate is facing," Watanabe added.
In fact, when Markey was asked a question about the banking industry, he quickly referenced Warren, saying, "Senator Warren is now the cop on the beat down in Washington, making sure that the Charlatans and those that would defraud innocent investors are not allowed to go un-policed."
Warren showed the same courtesy on the subject of climate change.
She said of Markey, "He comes in not as hundredth in priority in the Senate, he comes in with a resume that is strong and we know that his leadership will be terrific in this area. We're looking to Ed Markey for leadership."
How long Team Warren/Markey will stay intact is unclear, since Markey, who just won a special election, is already up for re-election next year.
