Political Science professor Anthony Dell'aera says when it comes to their policy positions, there aren’t a lot of differences between Joseph Kennedy III and Edward Markey, but there are some. 

The two candidates for U.S. Senate say they're both strong progressive Democrats, which is part of the challenge voters face when figuring out who they’ll choose.

Dell’aera says the incumbent Markey has made the case he has a proven record and taken a number of strong positions, particularly attaching himself to the Green New Deal.

And Congressman Kennedy is arguing while Senator Markey has taken a number of popular stands, he has not necessarily generated results. Kennedy is telling voters he’s better to act on those proposals.  

Dell’aera says there is a different path to victory for each candidate.

Dell'aera said, "In Senator Markey's case, capturing the progressive wing of the democratic party is essential. I believe he has done that, so the key for him is to make sure they turn out. On the flip side, you have Congressman Kennedy and the strength in his base seems to be people in the non-white communities across Massachusetts, so those are the people.”

“Congressman Kennedy has to rely on to generate enough support for him to pull this out,” he added.

Dell'aera believes a great deal of Markey's votes have already been cast through early voting and mail-in voting; he thinks Kennedy's core demographic is more likely to turn out in person. 

However, he says given the current pandemic situation it's incredibly unpredictable what will actually happen.