Ed Markey Wins Massachusetts Democratic Senate Primary

U.S. Senator Ed Markey secured the Democratic nomination for another term in Massachusetts on Tuesday, defeating Representative Seth Moulton in a closely watched primary that highlighted debates over age, experience and the party’s direction.

Markey, 80, overcame a challenge from the 47-year-old Moulton, who campaigned on generational change and positioned himself as a moderate alternative. Markey, who has spent nearly five decades in Congress, remains a prominent progressive voice in the Democratic Party.

His campaign received support from leading progressives, including Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Most of Massachusetts’ congressional delegation also backed Markey, including Senator Elizabeth Warren.

Moulton, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, received endorsements from New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill and VoteVets. The Boston Globe editorial board also endorsed Moulton, citing his leadership experience and policy positions.

Markey entered the Massachusetts Democratic primary with significant advantages. He raised nearly $2 million more than Moulton and held a double-digit lead in recent polling. He is heavily favored in November in strongly Democratic Massachusetts, which Kamala Harris carried by nearly 25 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election.

The result contrasted with several Democratic primaries elsewhere in the United States this year, where younger progressive candidates have defeated established incumbents. In Massachusetts, however, the older incumbent was viewed as the more progressive candidate.

Another veteran Massachusetts Democrat also survived a younger challenger Tuesday. Representative Stephen Lynch, 71, defeated progressive attorney Patrick Roath, 39, in the Democratic primary for the state’s 8th Congressional District, according to race calls from the Associated Press and NBC News.

Roath had outraised Lynch by $1.3 million to $910,000 and narrowed the incumbent’s polling advantage significantly. A recent survey showed Lynch ahead by seven percentage points, compared with a 26-point advantage in a February poll conducted for Roath.

Democrats currently control both Massachusetts Senate seats and all nine of the state’s U.S. House seats. Markey and Lynch are both considered strong favorites to win their respective races in the November general election.