Markey makes case to Cape Dems
WEST YARMOUTH — Close to 50 Yarmouth and Dennis residents trekked through the snow to get a chance to hear U.S. Sen. Edward Markey on Saturday night at the Yarmouth House restaurant.
“Elections are won at the grassroots,” said Markey. “This event gives the opportunity to every Yarmouth and Dennis Democrat to ... meet and ask questions.”
The event was organized by the Yarmouth Democratic Town Committee, and proceeds will go to a $500 scholarship for a Yarmouth or Dennis high school student.
Markey will be running against Joseph Kennedy III in the Democratic primary Sept. 1. Shannon Liss-Riordan, a high-profile worker’s rights lawyer, dropped out of the Democratic primary race Friday.
Markey has served in Congress for more than four decades, first in the House and later in the Senate.
In 2012, he announced his candidacy to run in a special election to fill John Kerry’s seat after he was named U.S. secretary of state. Markey defeated fellow Congressman Stephen Lynch in the primary and Republican challenger Gabriel Gomez in the general election. In the 2014 election he ran unopposed for the six-year term.
On the Cape, Markey has received endorsements from state Rep. Dylan Fernandes, state Rep. Sarah Peake and U.S. Rep. William Keating.
In response, Markey pointed to his long list of accomplishments he has made during his time in the Senate.
“I’ve been leading and delivering for the people of Massachusetts,” said Markey, especially on climate change, a topic that hits Cape Codders close to home.
Cape Cod has suffered profound negative effects of climate change, he said, and this past year he sponsored five bills to combat it.
“How do we know it is happening because cod need cold water and they are moving north, lobster need cold water and they are moving north,” said Markey. Plus, the storms are getting more disastrous.
“It’s happening,” said Markey. “It’s real. I am working on it and I am fighting for it.”
He also noted that he and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., introduced the Green New Deal, a congressional resolution that lays out a grand plan for tackling the global crisis.
Markey said he continues to work on the opioid epidemic that plagues Cape Cod. And this past year he was able to add $25 million in the federal budget for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s research into gun violence.
Another topic critical to those who live on or visit the Cape is the status of the Bourne and Sagamore bridges.
Getting funding to replace the aging bridges is crucial, said Markey, who is a member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
“On each and every one of those items I’ve been leading and delivering on Cape Cod,” said Markey.
In the coming weeks Markey will also be serving as a juror during President Donald Trump’s impeachment hearing.
Democrats are going to make sure to ratchet up the pressure and make sure the American people hear everything in this trial, he said. “I will promise you I will fight as hard as I can.”
The Yarmouth Democratic Town Committee hosts different events throughout the year in the community, said committee Chairman Bob Isadore. Although committee members are involved on the political end they also do community service events, too.
In December the group hosted a toy drive that served over 1,500 children on Cape Cod this year, Isadore said, and in the summer they host a barbecue that draws many residents and elected officials.
The committee has 35 full-time members and about 60 associate members, Isadore said. Their meetings are open to the public and any registered Democrat can come and participate, he said.
“It’s a great opportunity to get everyone together,” said Rose Mary Strippoli, the committee’s vice chairwoman.
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