FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 30, 2026

Press Contact:

Vincent Errichetti

(617) 922-1824

Press@johndeatonforsenate.com

CHEVY CHASE, MD — A mobile billboard truck paid for by John Deaton, candidate for U.S. Senate in Massachusetts, arrived in front of Senator Ed Markey's (D-MA) year-round residence in Chevy Chase, Maryland this morning, challenging the 80-year-old incumbent to explain why he unexpectedly backed out of a second debate on Monday.

The truck, which later spent Wednesday circling the Dirksen Office Building where Markey keeps his official Senate office, carried a message from Deaton and called for Markey to "back out of the U.S. Senate" if he can't be bothered to sufficiently defend his record in the general election. Markey debated his primary opponent, Congressman Seth Moulton, three times on live TV.

“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,” said Deaton campaign manager Mark Steffen. “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.”

BACKGROUND:

Markey has been challenged to explain his residency going back decades. In 2020, the Boston Globe detailed Markey's travel records and his refusal to release a utility bill from his childhood home in Malden where he claims to live. (Boston Globe, 7/27/20)

More recently, Markey appeared out of state stumping for Democratic candidates for Senate. (Off the Press, 9/17/2026)

On Monday, Markey backed out of a planned debate with WCVB, leaving just one debate in Boston and no debates in Western Massachusetts despite offers from multiple stations. (New Boston Post, 9/29/26)