Democrat establishment flexes dominance as insurgents fall and GOP bench thins in deep blue stronghold

Massachusetts Democrats rewarded incumbency in marquee primaries Tuesday, but the clearest message came in the state’s generational showdown, with 80-year-old Sen.

Ed Markey routing moderate Democratic Rep.

Seth Moulton, 47, after Moulton argued it was time for the party to "pass the torch." Tuesday night's results underscored Democratic dominance in the deep-blue state rather than a single ideological sweep.

Voters backed established incumbents across the party’s factions and selected a Biden-Harris-backed former White House aide in the closely watched open-seat contest to take over Moulton's House seat after he abandoned it to run for Senate.

Meanwhile, Republicans failed to nominate House candidates in four districts — the first, second, fifth and seventh — while only fielding write-ins for the blue stronghold's secretary of state race.

Markey’s victory over the more moderate Moulton, however, stood out as the night’s clearest win for the party’s progressive wing.

TOP ELECTION SCHEMES ROILING KEY MIDTERM RACES AS BOTH PARTIES ACCUSE RIVALS OF TRICKERY "Its very clear that the dem voters care more about policies and having a progressive represent them in the senate, than age!," controversial Twitch streamer and far-left activist Hasan Piker said after the Associated Press projected Markey would win.

"Another w for our movement!" Moulton highlighted the difficult battle he faced trying to unseat a longtime incumbent like Markey following his concession, but said the effort was not for nothing, noting "we started conversations that needed to happen" and adding that he is "confident ... others will be inspired to buck the system when they’re told to wait their turn." Markey faced attacks during the campaign over his far-left positions, including his support for transgender athletes' participation in women's sports, but the progressive bona fides of the Massachusetts lawmaker, who has represented the state in Congress for nearly five decades, were not a significant enough sticking point for voters to abandon him.

SCANDAL-PLAGUED 'SQUAD' REP CRUISES TO DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION WITH NO GOP ROADBLOCKS IN VIEW "Ed Markey has spent decades fighting for LGBTQ+ equality, for working people, and for a more livable world," said Human Rights Campaign (HRC) President Kelley Robinson following Markey's win.

"He knows why equality matters.

He’s stood with us no matter what.

We were proud to endorse him this year, and when a pro-equality majority takes back the Senate this fall, we will continue to count on him as a champion for our community." The incumbent success Markey saw carried into the House during Tuesday night's Massachusetts primaries, where Reps.

Richard Neal and Stephen Lynch fended off younger challengers, while Reps.