What to know about the US primary election in Massachusetts

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Voters in the US state of Massachusetts head to the polls on Tuesday for a primary election featuring a closely watched United States Senate contest between Democratic incumbent Senator Ed Markey and US Representative Seth Moulton.

The race is the latest contest that pits the Democratic Party’s progressive and moderate wings against each other. But in a twist, Moulton, the challenger, is part of the moderate New Democrat Coalition, while Markey, the longtime progressive incumbent, is fighting to hold on to his seat.

What time do polls open and close in Massachusetts?

The Massachusetts primary is Tuesday, September 1, 2026. Polls open at 7am ET (11:00 GMT) and close at 8pm ET (midnight GMT).

What are the key races in the Massachusetts primary?

In the 6th District, voters will choose a Democratic nominee to succeed Moulton. The top contenders include former local election official Dan Koh, financial technology executive John Beccia, and Massachusetts State Representative Tram Nguyen.

Koh enters Tuesday as the leading fundraiser, with about $4.7m in contributions, and has endorsements from former US President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris. Nguyen has raised about $895,000, while Beccia has boosted his campaign’s spending power with a $4m personal loan.

The winner will face Republican Micah Jones, who is unopposed for his party’s nomination.

In the 8th District, 13-term Democratic incumbent Representative Stephen Lynch, 71, faces a primary challenge from progressive attorney Patrick Roath, 39, who is endorsed by Leaders We Deserve, the political action committee (PAC) headed by gun-safety activist and political organiser David Hogg.

Roath has criticised the centrist voting record of Lynch, who broke with Democrats to vote against former US President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act in March 2010, and who was Massachusetts’s only congressional member to vote for current US President Donald Trump’s Laken Riley Act, which requires federal law enforcement to detain and deport immigrants who have been charged with nonviolent crimes regardless of whether those charges ever result in a conviction.

The winner will face a midterm election against Republican Robert Burke, who runs uncontested and who lost his 2024 bid for Congress to Lynch.

In the gubernatorial race, the Democratic primary is effectively uncontested, with incumbent Governor Maura Healey running for the Democratic nomination, but with two Republican candidates vying for Healey’s seat. Brian Shortsleeve and Michael Roger Minogue, who are running in the GOP primary, are both military veterans with business backgrounds. The most notable difference between the two candidates is that Shortsleeve backs abortion rights, while Minogue does not. Both of them have supported Trump.

Who is running in the Massachusetts US Senate primary?

The biggest statewide contest is the Democratic US Senate primary between Markey and Moulton.

Markey is seeking a third full term, but faces a primary challenge from Moulton.

Markey, who turned 80 in July, entered the US Senate in 2013 after nearly 37 years in the US House of Representatives. He last faced a competitive primary in 2020, when he defeated then-Representative Joseph Kennedy III by 10 points. Moulton, a six-term congressman and Marine Corps veteran, briefly sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020.

Age has been a central theme of Moulton’s campaign. Markey, who turned 80 in July, is the oldest Senate Democrat running for re-election this year. Moulton, 47, has called for “generational change” in the Democratic Party, and argues that Markey is too old to represent a generation confronting challenges like artificial intelligence (AI).

Markey came under pressure during a recent debate, when he was asked whether he uses AI platforms such as ChatGPT or Claude in his work. Markey responded that he uses whatever is available through his iPhone or iPad, saying he did not know which companies his devices might be using.

Moulton seized on the exchange, arguing that leaders need to understand the technologies they will be responsible for regulating.

“Senator, if you don’t even know what you’re using on your phone or your iPad, this is why we need a new generation of leaders to regulate these technologies,” Moulton said, calling Markey’s loose grasp of technology “potentially disqualifying”.

U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass. who is campaigning to unseat Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., speaks to prospective voters Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026, in Wakefield, Mass. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds)

Markey defended his record on technology, arguing that familiarity with individual AI products is less important than establishing safeguards around the technology. He has pointed to legislation addressing AI’s effects on children, workers, civil rights and the environment.

Markey has won the endorsement of the High School Democrats of America and the College Democrats of America, as well as support from prominent progressives including US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Markey also has the support of US Senator Elizabeth Warren, a fellow Democrat from Massachusetts.

“Ed Markey is one of the strongest progressive voices in the United States Senate,” Sanders said in his endorsement of Markey. “He has been an ally in taking on the billionaires, Big Tech, Wall Street and private equity as they continue to try to take over every aspect of our lives and further corrupt our government.”

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass. and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-VT., , left to right, wave to attendees during a Get Out the Vote event supporting Markey, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026 in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)

Recent polling has shown Markey with a sizable lead over Moulton.

A University of Massachusetts Amherst/WCVB poll conducted August 5-12 found Markey leading Moulton 60 percent to 32 percent, with 7 percent undecided.

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