Barely a week after Rep. Joseph Kennedy, III, D-Mass., lost the Democrat primary for senator from Massachusetts, the opinion among the punditocracy and political operatives is the heir to the Bay State's most illustrious name as little — if any — chance of reviving his career.
Kennedy, 39, lost to Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., by 10 points 55%-45%. This margin was unusually large, experts agree, because of the progressive wing of the party sticking with and working for Markey.
Among those weighing in for the incumbent were Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., with whom Markey co-sponsored the costly Green New Deal climate change legislation, and the Sunrise Movement, a large and widespread group of millennials who are passionately concerned about climate change.
As the first bearer of the Kennedy name to lose an election in Massachusetts, observers agree, Joe Kennedy is in no position to launch a political comeback soon.
By not waiting for Markey, 74, to step down when he is 80 in 2026, or fellow Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren, 70, to either retire in 2024 or accept a position in a Biden administration and resign, Joe Kennedy has probably forsaken another opportunity at the Senate.
"Kennedy's strategy was flawed, and he was not personally ready for prime time," veteran Massachusetts political consultant Holly Robichaud told Newsmax.
Robichaud and other Massachusetts operatives believe, as an ex-congressman carrying a big loss against Markey, Kennedy would be in no position to run statewide again if Warren were to leave before her term ends.
State Attorney General Maura Healey, another favorite of the Democrats' far left, is now the betting favorite for the next open Senate seat or the governorship in 2022.
It is an end of an era.
"Markey was not popular, and yet, Kennedy got creamed by him," Robichaud said. "The Teflon coating for winning elections is off the Kennedy family."
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.