By Jim Ellis — Tuesday, September 2, 2026
Last night’s Massachusetts primary resulted in each incumbent prevailing, but not all were landslide victories.
Senate
Polling accurately anticipated the outcome of the Bay State’s Senate primary, as veteran incumbent Ed Markey easily defeated Rep. Seth Moulton (D‑Salem) by a 65-35 percent margin. Though not all 351 municipalities had reported by late Tuesday night, returns from roughly 280 communities showed Moulton carrying only nine, with six of them coming within his 6th Congressional District.
Rep. Moulton’s decision to run for the Senate had been questioned by many political observers, since Sen. Markey did not appear vulnerable to a Democratic challenge. He demonstrated that strength six years ago when he defeated then‑Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy III, 55-45 percent, overcoming a member of the Kennedy family in their home state and within their own party.
The six‑term Congressman attempted to frame the race around age and longevity. Sen. Markey is 80 years old and has held elective office continuously since first winning a seat in the Massachusetts House of Representatives back in 1972. In the end, the Moulton attack line failed to gain traction.
Moulton will leave Congress when his term ends in January. Sen. Markey now heads into the general election with a prohibitive advantage over attorney John Deaton, who was unopposed for the Republican nomination.
Governor
Incumbent Gov. Maura Healey was unopposed in yesterday’s Democratic primary, and, as expected, former healthcare company executive Mike Minogue won the Republican nomination, defeating businessman and retired Marine Corps veteran Brian Shortsleeve by a commanding 76-24 percent margin.
Minogue will be a credible Republican contender against Gov. Healey, but his prospects remain weak in a state that is quintessentially Democratic. Turnout underscores the challenge: roughly 275,000 voters participated in the Republican primary, compared with more than 900,000 on the Democratic side. While Gov. Healey enters November as a heavy favorite, Minogue is positioned to offer voters a viable alternative.
House
While several members of Massachusetts’ all‑Democratic US House delegation faced primary challengers, only one race appeared genuinely competitive heading into election day. In the end, a second contest proved unexpectedly close.
The surprise came in the 1st District, where veteran Rep. Richard Neal (D‑Springfield) defeated educator Jeromie Whalen by a narrower‑than‑expected 54-46 percent margin, remarkably tight given the campaign’s extreme spending disparity. Through the pre‑primary reporting period ending Aug. 12, Rep. Neal held a $3 million to $330,000 expenditure advantage.
The challenger did not run as a Democratic Socialist but cast Congressman Neal as an entrenched establishment incumbent and claimed he is “one of the top recipients of corporate money.” This, of course, would be illegal, since direct corporate contributions to candidate committees are not allowed.
Whalen did not distinguish the difference between a corporate contribution and a corporate political action committee comprised of private sector employees voluntarily participating in the political process.
Given the number of incumbent House members in both parties who have lost renomination this year, Rep. Neal’s below‑average margin may reflect a broader frustration among various electorates toward long‑serving federal incumbents.
In the 4th District, three‑term Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D‑Newton) easily dispatched research scientist Jason Poulos, once viewed as a potentially credible challenger. Rep. Auchincloss secured renomination with a 72-28 percent victory.
House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D‑Revere) also cruised, winning 74 percent of the vote against two opponents. She advances to the November general election as a prohibitive favorite in her 5th District, which carries a 68.3D – 29.7R partisan lean according to the Dave’s Redistricting App statisticians.
In the open 6th District, as polling suggested, former Andover Selectman and ex‑Biden Administration official Dan Koh won the Democratic nomination with a 41-30-12-9 percent result over state Rep. Tram Nguyen (D‑Andover), cryptocurrency executive John Beccia, and former state Rep. Jamie Belsito. Koh previously lost a 2018 3rd District primary to current Rep. Lori Trahan (D‑Westford) by just 145 votes.
Finally, in the Boston‑anchored 8th District, veteran Rep. Stephen Lynch (D‑South Boston) defeated former gubernatorial aide Patrick Roath, 57-43 percent, in a race that fundraising and polling had suggested could be competitive.
Rep. Lynch lost the Boston municipality to Roath but performed strongly in the district’s communities that lie south of the state’s capital city. The Congressman is again a prohibitive favorite in the November general election to secure a 14th term.
Next week, voters in New Hampshire and Rhode Island will choose their nominees, and Delaware will close the 2026 primary season on Sept. 15.