CHICOPEE — Sen. Ed Markey and Congressman Seth Moulton faced off Wednesday in a western Massachusetts primary debate, hitting on everything from Markey’s age to Moulton’s stance on trans athletes to President Trump and issues focused on the region.

The debate aired on WWLP-TV, featuring five local journalists who alternated in asking the two candidates questions. Both Moulton and Markey were given 30 seconds to respond to each question, as well as a 30-second rebuttal.

As expected, when Markey and Moulton weren’t clashing with each other, both Democratic candidates quickly pivoted to criticizing President Donald Trump, congressional Republicans and the MAGA movement, while highlighting their efforts to fight against them.

It took both Markey and Moulton less than five seconds to mention Trump while answering their first question — which was on Markey’s age as he runs for another six-year Senate term.

The incumbent senator took just three seconds to mention Trump by name while defending his age, highlighting his record combating Trump’s policies and those of Republicans during his more than 50 years on Capitol Hill.

Moulton, when asked the same question, took five seconds to bring up the president, also highlighting his efforts to battle Trump’s agenda.

Both candidates mentioned Trump, Republicans or the MAGA movement in nearly every answer they gave during the debate while promoting their respective records in fighting Trump’s policies and criticizing their opponent.

Markey, who turns 80 on Saturday, says he still feels young and spry. He added that the focus should be on defeating “the worst of Washington,” placing both Trump and Moulton in that category.

“We need the worst of Washington to be in the rearview mirror. We need to be looking ahead to the issues that every single family wants to have fought for, and that’s what I do every single day on the floor of the United States Senate,” Markey said after attacking Moulton on alleged insider trading, saying the six-term congressman has made “sweetheart deals” with defense contractors that have appeared before the House Armed Services Committee, on which Moulton serves.

“What Congressman Moulton has done is he has taken advantage of sweetheart deal opportunities, which private equity companies have given to him to invest in companies like Oura and Divergent that appear before his Armed Services Committee,” Markey said. “And he’s been allowed to invest in those funds, and he has now reaped millions of dollars of opportunities from those investments.”

Moulton, 47, took a cautious approach to criticizing Markey’s age, instead expressing respect for Markey’s half-century of service in Washington before arguing that the “current establishment just isn’t working” and that “we need new ideas and a new playbook.”

Moulton continued to take subtle shots at Markey’s age throughout the debate, repeatedly referring to what he described as the inefficiency of the “current establishment” in Washington.

The candidates were also asked about comments Moulton made in November 2024 regarding transgender athletes competing in girls’ and women’s sports.

Moulton had said he doesn’t want his daughters “getting run over on the playing field by a male or formerly male athlete.” He was criticized nationally by Democrats, including the Massachusetts Democratic Party, for the comments. He initially defended his position before later walking the comments back.

“Let me be clear to anyone out there listening tonight, anyone in the LGBTQ community or anyone else: I stand with you because I’ve always stood with you. And I have seen the pain that you are going through because of this hateful Trump administration,” Moulton said when pressed on his current stance. “This is a crisis and I’m very proud of the fact that I have a 100% voting record from the Human Rights Campaign. I have your back because I’ve always had your back, and I will have your back in the future.”

Markey responded that Moulton threw “trans kids under the bus” after Democrats lost in 2024.

“There’s a clear difference between my record and Congressman Moulton’s,” Markey said. “After the 2024 election, Congressman Moulton decided that he was going to throw trans kids under the bus, the political bus, and blame them for the loss of the 2024 election. Those kids are vulnerable. Those kids need love. Those kids don’t need to be scapegoated and blamed for what was wrong with the Democratic Party.”

The debate also touched on other national issues, including the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian immigrants, the rise of the Democratic Socialists of America within the Democratic Party, foreign policy and other topics.

The conversation also turned to regional issues, including funding for western Massachusetts hospitals, east-west passenger rail connecting the region to Boston, and each lawmaker’s record securing federal funding for western Massachusetts.

“With Congressman Richie Neal we were able to secure $157 million for west-east rail because it is absolutely essential that we connect the western Mass. economy to the rest of the economy of Massachusetts. It’s been long overdue,” Markey said.

Markey mentioned a number of projects he has worked on in western Massachusetts, including the “asthma crisis” in Springfield and securing funding to “clean up” the Housatonic River.

“I worked on every one of those projects to make sure the funding would be here, for every one of the issues out here in western Massachusetts,” Markey said. “To work with the mayors, to work with the elected officials, to ensure that the said not just for west-east rail, but for all of these critical projects that are central to the long-term economic development of this region.”

Moulton responded saying that the $157 million Markey referenced will not be enough to complete the track.

“With all due respect, no one’s going to ride your train because it’s too slow,” Moulton said. “You had 50 years in Washington to get this done and it’s not done. And meanwhile, the rest of the world is passing us by.”

Moulton said he authored the American High Speed Rail Act, which was introduced in May, claiming that could bring a high-speed rail that travels from Springfield to Boston in 40 minutes. “Imagine what that would do for job opportunities. Imagine what that would do to knit our state together,” he said.

Representation in each lawmaker’s communities was debated. Moulton said that western Massachusetts communities have been “left behind by the politicians in Washington and in Boston,” which he has heard during his 50 town halls held across the state. He said he “shows up” for his community, unlike Markey.

Markey argued that he does show up for this part of the state, which is part of the reason he has been endorsed by mayors from Springfield, Northampton, Easthampton and Pittsfield.

“They know that when they have a call to make and they want something done, that if they call me, I will get it done,” Markey said. “That is a big difference between the two of us.”

The hourlong event marked the first head-to-head matchup between Markey and Moulton in the state’s key political race this year. Two more debates, on Aug. 3 and Aug. 20, are on the docket before the Sept. 1 primary.