Edward Markey

But last year, Markey was among the senators to sign onto an open letter led by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) urging Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and DNC Chairman Ken Martin to endorse a national party resolution barring Democratic-aligned super PACs from getting involved in such primaries.

“Getting super PAC money and dark money out of Democratic primaries is not some pie in the sky dream,” the letter said.

However, that’s exactly how Democratic critics of the proposal have described it. Former DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison questioned the ability to legally enforce a party resolution that would do nothing to change federal law. Former Kamala Harris campaign staffer Ammar Moussa said Democrats might as well “tie one hand around our backs” because Republican groups would still be able to spend in Democratic elections to sway the outcomes in favor of weaker candidates.

Neither Commonwealth Together PAC nor the Markey campaign responded to requests for comment. The super PAC describes itself as a union-based group “representing more than a quarter million Massachusetts workers, along with environmental and progressive leaders across the state, to support Ed Markey’s reelection and ensure that Massachusetts voters understand the clear choice they face this September.”

Moulton’s campaign has condemned the ads, particularly one from April about Immigration and Customs Enforcement that claimed the congressman “voted with Republicans to thank ICE.” The claim was deemed “misleading” and “mostly false” by fact-checking news outlets FactCheck.org and PolitiFact.

GENERATIONAL FIGHT IN BUDDING MASSACHUSETTS DEMOCRATIC SENATE PRIMARY

“It’s funny that [Markey’s] corporate donors have tried to brush over his past by attacking Seth with claims already proven ‘misleading’ by independent fact-checkers,” the Moulton campaign said in a May statement.

The Washington Examiner reached out to the Moulton campaign for additional comment.