Officially facing his biggest challenge yet for his seat in the US Senate, Ed Markey is going on the offensive.
The Massachusetts Democrat wants to hold a climate change debate with labor attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan, businessman Steve Pemberton and, most notably, Rep. Joseph Kennedy III, who announced Saturday morning that he will run against Markey in the 2020 election.
Liss-Riordan and Pemberton announced earlier they will challenge Markey.
Markey is the co-author of the Green New Deal, along with congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York).
"I was very disappointed at the Democratic National Committee's refusal to hold a debate on climate change for our presidential candidates," Markey said in a video which issued the challenge. "In Massachusetts, we can do better than that."
Markey wants to hold the debate during the week of Nov. 11, after municipal elections.