Boston

Markey and Kennedy Meet Face to Face Amid Primary Battle

Weeks after Rep. Joe Kennedy announced he would challenge incumbent Sen. Ed Markey in a Democratic primary, the two met face-to-face in a Boston conference room.

It was a striking moment given the back-and-forth between the campaigns this early in the race, which will be closely watched nationally.

Markey has called for a climate change debate in November. Kennedy has yet to commit.

"No, no," Kennedy said when asked if he might decline to partake. "Please, we are one week into a campaign. I look forward to having a robust series of debates over the course of this campaign."

Kennedy has called for a "People's Pledge" limiting outside money in the race. Markey has yet to commit to that. But he was willing to promote his campaign.

"We will be continuing to crisscross the state during this campaign, and doing so with the highest level of energy which I've ever had,"

Immigration expert Westy Egmont says their willingness to appear together shows that Markey's and Kennedy's priorities are intact -- joining refugee resettlement advocates concerned about the impact of the Trump administration's plan to cap refugee admissions at a record low 18,000 -- a 40% reduction over this past year.

"We know there's a political rivalry. And this contest could easily have meant that either one of them would find an excuse to not be here," Egmont said. "I was thrilled to see them come together."

Kennedy says a meeting is scheduled for later this week for all the campaigns to discuss a whole series of debates, including one on climate change.

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