Senator Ed Markey holds a substantial polling lead over Representative Seth Moulton ahead of the Democratic primary in the Massachusetts Senate race, defying a trend of generational change that has defined this year's primaries. Moulton, 47, has cast himself as part of a new generation of Democratic leaders in his bid against Markey, an 80-year-old who first entered Congress in 1976. Moulton has sought to make the case for new leadership in the Senate against a longtime incumbent, as many Democrats have grown frustrated with their party’s aging representation in Washington.
The primary challenge by Moulton comes as an anti-incumbent wave has swept through this year’s Democratic primaries, and several longtime incumbents have lost to political newcomers. In addition to age, many incumbents have also lost to more progressive challengers or democratic socialists. But Massachusetts has different ideological dynamics at play.
Markey has positioned himself as one of the most progressive senators, touting his support for Medicare for All and the Green New Deal, while Moulton is viewed as more moderate. Moulton, who represents a district based around the North Shore, has criticized his party’s position on transgender rights and has declined to support Medicare for All. The primary will gauge whether Democrats in a solidly liberal state are willing to ditch a longtime senator whose age has drawn scrutiny, even when the challenger is not as progressive.
Suffolk University Political Research Center Director David Paleologos told Newsweek he believes Markey has a substantial advantage heading into the primary. I stand by that statement today,” Paleologos said. Newsweek reached out to the Markey campaign via press contact form and the Moulton campaign via email for comment.
The latest polling shows Markey with a comfortable lead over Moulton. Markey led the latest Emerson College poll by 31 points, 60 percent to 33 percent. It surveyed 550 likely voters from August 28 to 29, 2026 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.
It marks a surge in Markey’s support compared to May, when he led an Emerson poll by only 5 points, 37 percent to 32 percent, suggesting previously undecided voters have backed the incumbent. Only 7 percent of voters were undecided in the new poll, down from 29 percent in May. A poll from the University of Massachusetts Amherst similarly showed Markey leading Moulton.
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