Sen. Ed Markey has defeated Rep. Seth Moulton in the Massachusetts Democratic Senate primary, according to Decision Desk HQ projections. The victory sets up Markey for a third term in the upper chamber, representing the deep-blue state alongside Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
Moulton, a 47-year-old Marine veteran who has served six terms in the House, framed his campaign as a generational change, contrasting his age with the 80-year-old incumbent. Markey, who spent 20 terms in the House before moving to the Senate, countered with a progressive record and a strong base of support.
Decision Desk HQ called the race for Markey with just 4 percent of precincts reporting, showing the senator leading by more than 30 points. The result aligns with recent polls, including a University of Massachusetts Amherst/WCVB survey from mid-August that found more than 80 percent of likely Democratic primary voters backed Markey. That poll suggested his age might actually be an asset, as voters described him as progressive, experienced, and trustworthy.
The primary was one of several this cycle where younger challengers took on long-serving Democratic incumbents, fueled by conversations about health, age, and term limits within the party. The exit of former President Biden from the 2024 race amid health concerns, along with recent deaths of sitting Democratic lawmakers, has energized younger candidates who argue that older politicians are out of touch.
But unlike some contests where challengers ran to the left of incumbents, Markey was widely seen as the more progressive candidate. He earned endorsements from Warren, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). The Boston Globe, by contrast, endorsed Moulton, arguing that the younger candidate could bring “new vision and vigor” to an “aging” Democratic Party.
Markey’s win also follows his 2020 primary victory over former Rep. Joe Kennedy III, where he defeated the Kennedy scion by about 10 points—marking the first time a Kennedy lost a statewide race in Massachusetts. That earlier victory solidified Markey’s standing among progressives and demonstrated his resilience against well-known challengers.
With the primary behind him, Markey now turns to the general election, where he will face Republican John Deaton, who ran unopposed in the GOP primary. The race is expected to be a comfortable hold for Democrats, as Massachusetts has not elected a Republican to the Senate since 1972.
The primary was closely watched nationally as a test of whether generational arguments could unseat an entrenched incumbent. In Massachusetts, at least, voters chose experience and ideology over youth, handing Markey a decisive victory and reinforcing his position as a leading progressive voice in the Senate.
