Edward Markey

Republican U.S. Senate candidate John Deaton is taking his campaign against incumbent Democratic Sen. Ed Markey on the road to Maryland.

Specifically, Markey’s home in Chevy Chase, Maryland, as the GOP challenger attempts to highlight the senator’s perceived lack of residency in Massachusetts and to press him on unexpectedly backing out of a recently scheduled debate between them.

The billboard truck, which parked outside Markey’s Chevy Chase home, the U.S. Capitol Building, and his nearby official Senate office, featured a video of Deaton calling on Markey to explain why he backed out of one of the two debates they are slated for.

In the video, Deaton stands next to a sign with a picture of Markey on a milk carton reading “Missing: Ed Markey,” going on to say, “Markey’s backed out of forums, interviews and debates. How about backing out of the U.S. Senate? Debate John Deaton Twice.”

“Ed Markey, don’t be a coward. I challenged you to five single-issue debates. Four TV stations, including one in western Mass., have asked you to commit to debates and you have only agreed to one one-hour debate. Are you afraid that my ideas are better than your ideas? Your slogans vs my solutions? Show up to Massachusetts and defend your record,” Deaton said in the video.

Markey has faced criticism for years regarding how much time he actually spends living in Massachusetts at his Malden home. Highlighted by several media outlets, including the Herald, there is evidence supporting the claims made by Deaton, Republicans and even Markey’s 2020 primary opponent and former Congressman Joe Kennedy III.

“I don’t think the state can afford absent leadership in the time we are in,” Kennedy said of Markey in a debate that summer.

Other reports have detailed Markey’s travel records and his refusal to release a utility bill from his Malden home to prove he resides there frequently enough to need basic utilities.

Markey, for the most part, has remained silent on his time spent in Malden vs his Maryland home, typically reverting back to highlighting his record of serving and advocating for Massachusetts on Capitol Hill.

Markey’s campaign slammed Deaton in a response defending Markey’s long stays in Maryland as a “requirement of the job.”

“Ed Markey has lived his entire life in Malden, the community that shaped the fight he brings to the Senate every day. He does also spend time in Washington, when the Senate is in session, a requirement of the job his opponent may not be aware of. In comparison, John Deaton only recently decided that Massachusetts was a good place to move to in his attempt to try and buy a Senate seat,” Markey Campaign Manager Cam Charbonnier told the Herald.

The billboard truck also called on Markey to “back out of the U.S. Senate” if he refuses multiple debates against Deaton.

“Senator Markey takes your vote for granted, which is why he lives outside of Massachusetts and refuses to debate John Deaton – because he knows his pull-string talking points on affordability fall flat,” Deaton campaign manager Mark Steffen said in a written statement. “We’ll be sending him a message straight from John as long as it takes to get him to respect the voters and stop acting like a king.”

Despite the unique campaigning by Deaton, recent polls give Markey a sizeable lead with the general election just over a month away. A UNH Survey Center poll released last week saw 53% of respondents say they would vote to re-elect Markey to 30% expressing support for Deaton.

The Deaton campaign says the billboard truck will be making an appearance outside Markey’s Malden home on Friday.

Markey and Deaton will participate in a debate on WBZ-TV on Oct. 13.