Markey Wins Mass. Senate Primary, Defeats Moulton

Sen. Ed Markey has won the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in Massachusetts, defeating Rep. Seth Moulton in Tuesday’s primary and delivering a decisive victory for the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. The Associated Press called the race roughly 30 minutes after polls closed, with Markey securing approximately 70 percent of the vote to Moulton’s 30 percent, according to NPR.

A Progressive Victory in a Generational Battle

The race pitted two visions of the Democratic Party against each other: Markey, the 80-year-old progressive champion who has served in Congress since 1976, versus Moulton, the 47-year-old Marine veteran who argued it was time for a new generation of leadership. Moulton, who launched his campaign in October 2025, repeatedly invoked the cautionary tales of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Dianne Feinstein, and Joe Biden, arguing that age should be a disqualifying factor, as WBUR reported.

But Massachusetts voters soundly rejected that argument. In his victory speech, Markey called the win a “testament to the power of the progressive movement of our nation,” saying the movement was “fueled by young people demanding more from their leaders.” He also dismissed the age question, telling WBUR the week before the primary: “I’m always the youngest guy in the room when it comes to new ideas.”

Endorsements and the Transgender Controversy

Markey’s victory was bolstered by a formidable coalition of progressive endorsements, including Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, and Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ayanna Pressley. Six of the state’s eight House members backed the incumbent, according to CommonWealth Beacon. The Boston Globe, by contrast, endorsed Moulton, arguing that the congressman’s leadership skills would serve him well in the Senate.

A defining flashpoint in the campaign was Moulton’s 2024 comments about transgender athletes, in which he said he didn’t want his daughters “getting run over on a playing field by a male or formerly male athlete.” Markey repeatedly attacked Moulton over the remarks, accusing him of “throwing trans kids under the bus.” Moulton apologized during an August debate, but the controversy dogged his campaign throughout the race.

Massachusetts Bucks the National Trend

The Massachusetts result stands in contrast to several other Democratic primaries this year where younger progressive candidates successfully unseated long-serving incumbents. In Connecticut, former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin defeated Rep. John Larson, 78. In Colorado, 29-year-old Democratic socialist Melat Kiros ousted Rep. Diana DeGette. And in New York, two Democratic members of Congress lost to left-wing challengers, as Al Jazeera noted.

Yet Massachusetts voters chose to stick with their veteran progressive. This is the second time Markey has defeated a younger challenger arguing for generational change - in 2020, he beat Rep. Joe Kennedy III, who made a similar case. The results suggest that in Massachusetts, voters prioritized Markey’s long record of progressive advocacy over concerns about his age.

Moulton and his allies actually outspent Markey’s campaign on advertising, pouring $7.1 million into ads compared to the senator’s $3.9 million, according to NBC News. Despite the financial disadvantage, Markey’s support never wavered in public polling. A WBUR/UMass Amherst poll in mid-August showed him with a nearly 30-point lead, and a final Emerson College Polling survey put him at 60 percent to Moulton’s 33 percent.

What’s Next for Massachusetts

Markey will now face Republican John Deaton, a Marine veteran and cryptocurrency attorney who ran unopposed in his primary, in the November general election. Deaton previously lost to Sen. Elizabeth Warren in 2024 by about 20 points. The race is rated as solidly Democratic, and Massachusetts hasn’t sent a Republican to the Senate since Scott Brown’s brief 2010 special-election win, as The Guardian reported.

In his concession, Moulton pledged his full support for Markey, saying: “I spoke to Senator Markey tonight and pledged that I will do everything I can to help him win re-election in November, to ensure a Democrat represents the state we both love.”

The primary results also carried implications beyond the Senate race. Several other long-serving Massachusetts Democrats - including Reps. Stephen Lynch and Richard Neal - also defeated younger challengers, signaling that the state’s voters remain loyal to their veteran lawmakers even as the national party grapples with questions of generational change. As the November election approaches, Markey’s victory cements his status as a leading voice of the progressive movement heading into what promises to be a contentious midterm cycle.