Letter: Response 10/23 Letter: Vote Rikleen for Senate
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To the Editor:
The recent letter supporting Senator Markey in the 2026 Senate primary focuses on only one of his opponents (Congressman Moulton), quickly dismissing my candidacy with a passing parenthetical.
The writer criticizes Moulton for running only on age, and that's a fair critique. So far, it's the only clear thing he's running on.
My campaign is completely different. I'm not running on age at all — you won't find a single mention of it on my website or in my stump speech. I'm running because our democracy is in crisis, and too many of our Democratic leaders are failing to meet the moment. I include Senator Markey and Representative Moulton in that critique.
The letter says Senator Markey is "fighting Trump's fascist policies every single day." I wish that were true. He talks a good game, but he's done less to resist this administration than he did during Trump's first term. Individual senators have many procedural tools to slow or block Trump's agenda — and Markey has used none of them, despite that he occasionally used some during Trump's first term.
Senator Markey may be "no stranger to the Berkshires," as the author wrote, but neither am I. In just the last nine weeks, I've made three stops in Berkshire County, and this weekend will mark my 50th campaign appearance outside the I-95 corridor. That's what representing the whole commonwealth looks like.
My campaign isn't about age — it's about urgency, courage, and accountability. I'm running to make sure the fight against Trump's authoritarianism is more than just talk.
To learn more about the only candidate in this race who is making defense of democracy the focal point of the campaign, please check out my website at AlexRikleen.us.
Alex Rikleen
Acton, Mass.
Rikleen is running in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate.
Tags: election 2026, U.S. Senate,
