BOSTON — Progressive health care and disability rights activist Ady Barkan today endorsed Senator Ed Markey for re-election to the United States Senate.

In 2016, just after the birth of his son Carl, Ady Barkan was diagnosed with the terminal neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Since then, he has been a leading voice on health care reform and an advocate for Medicare for All. In April 2019, Barkan testified before the House Committee on Rules in favor of Medicare for All at the first-ever congressional hearing on the subject. He has been hailed as the “most powerful activist in America.”

“Progressives should look to Senator Ed Markey as the benchmark for the kind of candidate we should strive to elect and re-elect,” said Ady Barkan. “An original co-sponsor of Medicare for All, Ed has long been a progressive champion for universal health care as well as the environment, equity, and dozens of other issues. What makes Ed different, however, is that he actually delivers and passes laws. And he can empathize with the issues he champions.”

“Ady Barkan has channeled a grim diagnosis into a remarkable movement for Medicare for All. He challenges each one of us to be a hero,” said Senator Ed Markey. “Ady deserves as much time as possible with his two young children and loving partner, Rachael. He shouldn’t have to struggle to get treatment approved by insurance. He shouldn’t have to pay thousands of dollars out of pocket for at-home care. Medicare for All will ensure that Ady and every other American can receive high-quality, affordable, and comprehensive health care. I’m grateful for Ady’s support and will continue to fight with him for policies that recognize health care as a human right.”

Watch Ady Barkan endorse Ed Markey here.

Barkan’s support comes at a key moment in the primary race and builds on Senator Ed Markey’s strong existing support among progressive leaders and organizations, including: Senators Cory Booker and Elizabeth Warren, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, NARAL Pro-Choice, Daily Kos, the Human Rights Campaign, and dozens of others.

Ady Barkan is an Israeli-American lawyer and activist who has dedicated his life’s work to advocating for progressive causes. He is the co-founder of the Be a Hero PAC and an Organizer for the Center for Popular Democracy, where he led the Fed Up Campaign in 2012. He is a national co-chair of Health Care Voter, and was named one of the Top 50 Political Thinkers in 2016 by Politico. In 2019, he released his memoir, Eyes to the Wind: A Memoir of Love, Death, Hope and Resistance, featuring a foreword by Alexandria Ocasio Cortez. During the 2018 election cycle, Barkan traveled across the country, visiting 22 states in 40 days to talk to voters about healthcare. He used his platform during the 2020 presidential election cycle to interview several top candidates like Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, and Kamala Harris. Ady resides in Santa Barbara with his wife Rachael, son Carl, and daughter Willow.Progressive health care and disability rights activist Ady Barkan today endorsed Senator Ed Markey for re-election to the United States Senate.

Senator Markey has served in the United States Senate since winning the special election in 2013 and has amassed a deep record on environmental, climate, gun safety, and consumer protection issues. An original co-sponsor of the Medicare for All Act, Senator Ed Markey has consistently fought for accessible health care and to secure funding for medical research. Raised in Malden, Ed Markey has always stood up for the priorities of Massachusetts.

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