Rep. Katherine Clark has yet to join her colleagues in the Massachusetts delegation in endorsing U.S. Sen. Edward Markey — or anyone vying for his seat, including Rep. Joe Kennedy III, who is reportedly considering challenging Markey for the seat.
“We're going to see how this plays out, what decisions Congressman Kennedy makes,” Clark told reporters after an event in Framingham Wednesday. “I am very lucky to have incredible colleagues in the House and in the Senate, and so we're just going to have no announcements today, we're going to see how this process moves forward.”
Clark joined Markey at a packed town hall event to discuss climate change and the Green New Deal.
Clark said the town hall's turnout of over 700 attendees, many of whom asked questions about the bill directly to Clark and Markey, proves that people aren't letting the horse race distract them from issues like climate change.
“There is a political world that cares very much about hypothetical primary races,” Clark said, “but people really do care about these issues.”
The focus of the event remained largely on the Green New Deal, a resolution to combat climate change through changes in infrastructure, so called “clean” fuel options and policy changes including alterations to energy efficiency standards.
Both Clark and Markey became co-sponsors of the deal after it was introduced by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) in February.
Since then, Clark said they’ve formed the Select Committee on Climate Change, passed an act requiring the president to meet the standards of the Paris Agreement, worked on legislation to prohibit the production of oil off the coast of New England, and drafted legislation to protect natural resources and promote clean energy.
Markey emphasized the Paris Agreement, a United Nations pact that President Trump has vowed to withdraw the country from.
“It's just one more reason why we have to defeat Donald Trump,” Markey said to the crowd. “You know, if he wins, it's like a death sentence for the planet.”
