Ed Markey beat Seth Moulton by nearly 30 points in Tuesday’s Massachusetts Democratic Senate primary.
The race was called by the Associated Press and Decision Desk HQ roughly 30 minutes after polls closed. With more than 95 percent of votes counted, Markey pulled 571,246 votes, or 64.8 percent. Moulton received 309,870 votes, 35.2 percent.
Markey is 80 years old and has been in Congress since 1976, starting in the House before winning a Senate seat in a 2013 special election. Moulton, 47, had spent six terms in the House and was widely considered a rising star in Massachusetts Democratic politics.
Moulton built his campaign around age and generational change. He argued directly that Markey was too old to seek another term, one that would end when the incumbent is 86. “Is he too old? Look, every political consultant will tell me not to say this, but the honest truth is, yes,” Moulton told the Boston Globe. He also said Democrats needed to learn from the cases of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Dianne Feinstein, and Joe Biden.
As originally reported, Markey countered by leaning on his legislative record, including co-sponsorship of the Green New Deal and support for Medicare for All. He secured endorsements from Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, along with Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ayanna Pressley, as well as the Sunrise Movement.
Moulton had backing from moderate Democrats and veterans’ groups, including VoteVets. On spending, Moulton and his allies outspent Markey’s side significantly, putting $7.1 million into advertising versus $3.9 million from Markey and his supporters, according to AdImpact.
Policy disagreements were narrow, but one flashpoint stood out. Markey repeatedly attacked Moulton over comments he made in 2024 about transgender athletes in girls’ sports. Moulton had said he did not want his daughters “getting run over on a playing field by a male or formerly male athlete.” After backlash from the party’s left flank, Moulton apologized, saying he was “sorry if my comments hurt you.” Markey kept the issue alive throughout the campaign.
In his victory speech, Markey framed the result as proof of the progressive movement’s strength. “Massachusetts needs a senator who stands up and fights back, a senator who never forgets who they are fighting for,” he said. He called the outcome “a testament to the power of the progressive movement” and urged supporters to stay engaged in races in Maine and Michigan as well.
Markey is heavily favored to hold the seat in November. Massachusetts leans solidly Democratic, making a general election upset highly unlikely.