Joe Kennedy's once-promising Massachusetts Senate primary challenge might be a bust, polls show

Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-Mass.) doesn't look like he'll be getting a promotion after all.

When Kennedy announced his Democratic primary challenge to Sen. Ed Markey, there seemed to be a chance his more centrist bid might pan out. But more and more polls keep putting Markey back on top, including two released Wednesday just days before primary ballots are counted.

Markey, a progressive and co-author of the Green New Deal, has the support of 52 percent of likely Massachusetts Democratic Primary voters, a poll from the UMass Lowell Center for Public Opinion shows. Just 40 percent said they'd vote for Kennedy, putting Markey safely over Kennedy even if the 6 percent of undecided voters in the poll went in the challenger's favor.

Another poll released Wednesday from the progressive think tank Data for Progress meanwhile gives Markey an 8-point advantage over Kennedy. Markey gets 46 percent support to Kennedy's 38 among likely Democratic primary voters, though a large 16 percent said they remain undecided.

Earlier, albeit limited, polls indicated Markey and Kennedy's race was close, and some even gave Kennedy a sizable lead. Massachusetts' Senate primary election is Sept. 1, and early voting is already open.

UMass Lowell surveyed 800 likely Massachusetts Democratic primary voters online from Aug. 13-21, with a 4.1 percent margin of error. Data for Progress surveyed 732 likely Massachusetts Democratic primary voters between Aug. 24 and 25 using text-to-web and panel responses, with a 4 percent margin of error.