2026 United States Senate election in Massachusetts
The 2026 United States Senate election in Massachusetts will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Primary elections will be held on September 1, 2026. Incumbent two-term Democratic Senator Ed Markey, who was re-elected in 2020 with 66.2% of the vote, is running for a third full term. Republicans have not won a Senate election in Massachusetts since (/wiki/2010UnitedStatesSenatespecialelectioninMassachusetts).
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2026 United States Senate election in Massachusetts
The 2026 United States Senate election in Massachusetts will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Primary elections will be held on September 1, 2026. Incumbent two-term Democratic Senator Ed Markey, who was re-elected in 2020 with 66.2% of the vote, is running for a third full term. Republicans have not won a Senate election in Massachusetts since (/wiki/2010UnitedStatesSenatespecialelectioninMassachusetts).
Markey, who will be 80 years old at the time of the 2026 election, has faced calls to retire due to his age. His main primary challenger, U.S. Representative Seth Moulton, has criticized Markey's choice to run for re-election rather than retire throughout the campaign. Moulton has also expressed support for a constitutional amendment creating an age limit for members of Congress.
Democratic primary
Declared
• William F. Gates Jr., professor and architect • Ed Markey, incumbent U.S. senator (2013–present) • Seth Moulton, U.S. representative for Massachusetts's 6th congressional district (2015–present) and candidate for president in (/wiki/2020UnitedStatespresidentialelection) • Alex Rikleen, history teacher
Declined
• Jake Auchincloss, U.S. representative for Massachusetts's 4th congressional district (2021–present) (running for re-election) • Ayanna Pressley, U.S. representative for Massachusetts's 7th congressional district (2019–present) (running for re-election; endorsed Markey)
Fundraising
<table><thead><tr><th>Campaign finance reports as of December 31, 2025</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Candidate</td><td>Raised</td><td>Spent</td><td>Cash on hand</td></tr><tr><td>Ed Markey (D)</td><td>$5,728,942.90</td><td>$4,611,817.23</td><td>$2,769,102.27</td></tr><tr><td>Seth Moulton (D)</td><td>$3,165,414.27</td><td>$1,911,413.75</td><td>$3,104,338.58</td></tr><tr><td>Alex Rikleen (D)</td><td>$60,866.16</td><td>$59,111.15</td><td>$1,755.01</td></tr><tr><td>Source: Federal Election Commission</td></tr></tbody></table>
Polling
<table><thead><tr><th>Source of poll aggregation</th><th>Dates administered</th><th>Dates updated</th><th>Ed Markey</th><th>Seth Moulton</th><th>Alex Rikleen</th><th>Undecided</th><th>Margin</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>270toWin</td><td>November 3, 2025 - February 24, 2026</td><td>January 1, 2026</td><td>43.6%</td><td>26.4%</td><td>5.0%</td><td>25.0%</td><td>Markey +17.2%</td></tr><tr><td>Race to the WH</td><td>through February 16, 2026</td><td>February 24, 2026</td><td>38.8%</td><td>24.3%</td><td>6.5%</td><td>30.4%</td><td>Markey +14.5%</td></tr><tr><td>Average</td><td>41.2%</td><td>25.4%</td><td>5.8%</td><td>27.7%</td><td>Markey +15.8%</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><thead><tr><th>Poll source</th><th>Date(s) administered</th><th>Sample size</th><th>Margin of error</th><th>Ed Markey</th><th>Seth Moulton</th><th>Alex Rikleen</th><th>Other</th><th>Undecided</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>University of New Hampshire</td><td>February 12–16, 2026</td><td>352 (LV)</td><td>± 5.2%</td><td>35%</td><td>23%</td><td>7%</td><td>5%</td><td>30%</td></tr><tr><td>Suffolk University</td><td>November 19–23, 2025</td><td>226 (LV)</td><td>± 6.5%</td><td>45%</td><td>22%</td><td>–</td><td>–</td><td>33%</td></tr><tr><td>University of New Hampshire</td><td>November 13–17, 2025</td><td>343 (LV)</td><td>± 5.3%</td><td>34%</td><td>25%</td><td>2%</td><td>3%</td><td>35%</td></tr><tr><td>Data for Progress (D)</td><td>October 23–26, 2025</td><td>652 (LV)</td><td>± 4.0%</td><td>53%</td><td>34%</td><td>–</td><td>–</td><td>13%</td></tr><tr><td>UMass Amherst/YouGov</td><td>October 21–29, 2025</td><td>416 (LV)</td><td>± 6.1%</td><td>51%</td><td>28%</td><td>6%</td><td>1%</td><td>14%</td></tr><tr><td>44%</td><td>25%</td><td>5%</td><td>1%</td><td>25%</td></tr><tr><td>Advantage, Inc. (R)</td><td>September 23–24, 2025</td><td>278 (LV)</td><td>± 3.6%</td><td>30%</td><td>38%</td><td>–</td><td>–</td><td>32%</td></tr></tbody></table>
Republican primary
Declared
• John Deaton, attorney and nominee for U.S. Senate in (/wiki/2024UnitedStatesSenateelectioninMassachusetts)
Formed exploratory committee
• Christopher Thrasher, Westport School Committee Chair and nominee for Massachusetts House of Representatives' 8th Bristol district in (/wiki/2024MassachusettsHouseofRepresentativeselection#8thBristol)
Publicly expressed interest
• Lewis Evangelidis, Worcester County Sheriff (2011–present)
Withdrawn
• Nathan Bech, former West Springfield City Councilman and nominee for Massachusetts's 1st congressional district in (/wiki/2008UnitedStatesHouseofRepresentativeselectionsinMassachusetts#District1) (running as an independent)
Declined
• Charlie Baker, president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (2023–present) and former Governor of Massachusetts (2015–2023) • Michael Soter, state representative from the 8th Worcester district (2019–present)
Fundraising
<table><thead><tr><th>Campaign finance reports as of September 30, 2025</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Candidate</td><td>Raised</td><td>Spent</td><td>Cash on hand</td></tr><tr><td>Nathan Bech (R)</td><td>$40,000</td><td>$29,791</td><td>$14,983</td></tr><tr><td>Source: Federal Election Commission</td></tr></tbody></table>
Third parties and independents
Declared
• Nathan Bech, former West Springfield City Councilman and Republican nominee for Massachusetts's 1st congressional district in (/wiki/2008UnitedStatesHouseofRepresentativeselectionsinMassachusetts#District1)
Fundraising
<table><thead><tr><th>Campaign finance reports as of September 30, 2025</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Candidate</td><td>Raised</td><td>Spent</td><td>Cash on hand</td></tr><tr><td>Morgan Dawicki (I)</td><td>$8,111</td><td>$2,921</td><td>$5,191</td></tr><tr><td>Source: Federal Election Commission</td></tr></tbody></table>
General election
Predictions
<table><thead><tr><th>Source</th><th>Ranking</th><th>As of</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Inside Elections</td><td>Solid D</td><td>August 12, 2025</td></tr><tr><td>The Cook Political Report</td><td>Solid D</td><td>October 14, 2025</td></tr><tr><td>Sabato's Crystal Ball</td><td>Safe D</td><td>August 12, 2025</td></tr><tr><td>Race To The WH</td><td>Safe D</td><td>September 4, 2025</td></tr></tbody></table>
Polling
<table><thead><tr><th>Poll source</th><th>Date(s) administered</th><th>Sample size</th><th>Margin of error</th><th>Ed Markey (D)</th><th>John Deaton (R)</th><th>Other</th><th>Undecided</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>University of New Hampshire</td><td>February 12–16, 2026</td><td>620 (LV)</td><td>± 3.9%</td><td>56%</td><td>27%</td><td>2%</td><td>15%</td></tr><tr><td>Cygnal (R)</td><td>January 22–25, 2026</td><td>800 (LV)</td><td>± 3.5%</td><td>54%</td><td>30%</td><td>–</td><td>16%</td></tr><tr><td>Suffolk University</td><td>November 19–23, 2025</td><td>500 (RV)</td><td>± 4.4%</td><td>54%</td><td>31%</td><td>–</td><td>15%</td></tr><tr><td>SurveyUSA</td><td>February 28 – March 4, 2025</td><td>775 (RV)</td><td>–</td><td>45%</td><td>26%</td><td>–</td><td>30%</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><thead><tr><th>Poll source</th><th>Date(s) administered</th><th>Sample size</th><th>Margin of error</th><th>Seth Moulton (D)</th><th>John Deaton (R)</th><th>Other</th><th>Undecided</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>University of New Hampshire</td><td>February 12–16, 2026</td><td>620 (LV)</td><td>± 3.9%</td><td>59%</td><td>23%</td><td>2%</td><td>16%</td></tr><tr><td>Suffolk University</td><td>November 19–23, 2025</td><td>500 (RV)</td><td>± 4.4%</td><td>52%</td><td>29%</td><td>–</td><td>19%</td></tr></tbody></table>