A Kennedy loses for the first time in the Massachusetts Democratic primary due to the impulse of the progressive wing

Massachusetts Senator Edward Markey defeated Representative Joe Kennedy III, a member of the most famous political family in the United States, in the close Democratic primary on Tuesday.

Markey, 74, will thus aspire in November to keep his seat in the Senate.

The defeat of Kennedy, 39, grandson of Robert Kennedy and great-nephew of former President John F. Kennedy, is the first by a member of this family in a congressional election.

[Follow our coverage of the 2020 presidential elections]

With nearly 75% of the votes counted, Markey gained an eight-point lead over his rival, in a victory that has been blamed on the more progressive sector of the party versus the more centrist wing.

Markey was elected to the Senate in 2013 and is one of the co-sponsors of the Green New Deal.

That earned him the endorsement of New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren.

Kennedy had received the support of the Democratic leader of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi.

Representative Joe Kennedy III, outside his campaign headquarters in Watertown, Massachusetts, after conceding defeat to incumbent Senator Edward Markey.

AP / Charles Krupa

[Most Americans want to vote early or by mail, according to a poll by NBC and SurveyMonkey]

Ocasio-Cortez congratulated Markey from her Twitter account for giving a victory "to the progressive movement, to the policies of the 21st century and to the Green New Deal", in reference to the great pact they propose to face the climate crisis.

[Trump defends teenager accused of killing two protesters and insists on visiting Kenosha despite tensions]

At a celebration in his hometown of Malden, Massachusetts, Markey outlined a number of priorities, from

 to calling for 

.

"There will be no peace, no justice, no prosperity unless we stop the march towards climate destruction," Markey said.

The senator claimed that Democrats have to

and defeat President Donald Trump in November.

"He

" he said. 

Markey also attributed his victory in part to the

Current Senator Edward Markey celebrates with his wife Susan, left, in Malden, Massachusetts, after defeating Rep. Joe Kennedy III on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020, in the Massachusetts Democratic Senate primary.

AP / Michael Dwyer

Kennedy, for his part, said that, although the results are not what he expected, he will work for the reelection of Markey.

"The senator is a good man. They have never heard me say otherwise," he told supporters at a rally. 

Markey grew up in the working-class town of Malden with a father who worked as a truck driver for the Hood Milk Company.

In a campaign video, Markey paraphrased a famous John F. Kennedy quote that reads: "We asked what we could do for our country. We went out, we did it. With all due respect, it's time to start asking what your country can do for our country. you guys".

This is how the conventions in Biden and Trump impacted, according to survey

Aug. 30, 202000: 43

In the final weeks of the campaign, Kennedy leaned on his family's long political legacy in Massachusetts.

This includes former President John F. Kennedy;

former Senator and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, his grandfather;

and former Senator Edward Kennedy, who held a Massachusetts Senate seat for nearly half a century until his death in 2009.

Kennedy spoke repeatedly of the father of Danroy Henry, a young black man from Massachusetts killed by police 10 years ago.

Henry's father has criticized Markey, saying he did not help the family seek justice.

[Republicans rush to regain women's vote: they tried so at their convention]

Markey has assured that he has apologized to Henry's family and has signed a letter requesting a Department of Justice investigation into the murder.

Markey is now facing the winner of the Republican primary,

, in November.

The Democrat is considered the favorite.

With information from The Associated Press, NBC News, The New York Times and Efe.