Voters have a decent, out-of-the-ordinary alternative to Senator Ed Markey. Kevin O'Connor, in the one and only senatorial debate, outperformed, outmatched and outran Markey. Please watch the debate for yourself.

O'Connor was in excellent shape intellectually. You can tell when someone is well-informed and well-versed in all the issues, but the difference is, he directly answered the free-flowing questions using his knowledge.

You know what 74/47 means, don't you? Sen. Markey is 74 years old and has worked in Washington 47 years. He looked lost sitting tall on his high horse. I don't think he rehearsed much either, based on his elderly answers on issues he's familiar with, including COVID-19, racial injustice, abortion, police reform, and the Green New Deal, among others.

Markey sounded like a broken record for the hour. After the event, it didn't take much to understand why he only agreed to participate in one, and only one, debate.

People are conditioned to think that that senate seat will stay blue, but with someone like Kevin O'Connor, a Markey defeat is non-fictitious and doable. Markey is more concentrated on making campaign videos and commercials.

O'Connor is the kind of person you'd like to have as your neighbor. That's one of the highest compliments a politician could get.

Phil Paleologos is the host of The Phil Paleologos Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Contact him at phil@wbsm.com and follow him on Twitter @PhilPaleologos. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

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