Rep Kennedy makes key hire for MA Senate campaign

Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-Mass.) is staffing up as he seriously considers a Senate race: On Thursday, he offered a job to a political operative who is well known to both him and his potential challenger. Rich Thuma, who previously worked for the Democratic senator whom Kennedy would challenge, Ed Markey, accepted the job shortly after noon Thursday.

The hire is a sign that the 38-year-old Kennedy is already gearing up as he publicly weighs whether to take on Markey. It also illustrates the tense divisions that a Markey-Kennedy matchup would create within the Massachusetts political class. Many volunteers, operatives and donors have supported both politicians, and now find themselves in the uncomfortable position of choosing sides.

Kennedy is considering getting in the race but hasn't reached a formal decision, according to those close to him. He plans to attend the state’s Democratic convention this weekend to continue getting feedback on a potential bid. He plans to make a decision in the next few weeks.

Early polling shows Kennedy with a 14-point lead over Markey in a head-to-head race, and a 9-point lead in a four-way race against Markey and already-announced candidates Steve Pemberton and Shannon Liss-Riordan. The Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll conducted shortly after Labor Day showed voters think Kennedy would be a better fighter than Markey for Democratic priorities, a better adversary against the president and more liberal.

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/09/12/joe-kennedy-hire-rich-thuma-1493027