Moulton advances to face Markey in Massachusetts Senate primary

U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, a Massachusetts Democrat, earned enough delegate votes Saturday to join the state's primary ballot. He is running to unseat incumbent Sen. Ed Markey in this year's Senate race. The party formally endorsed Markey, who captured more than 50% of the delegation's support at a convention where over 4,000 delegates gathered.

Moulton received nearly 27% of delegate votes, while Markey won nearly 73%. Massachusetts Democratic Party rules require candidates to achieve at least 15% delegate support to appear on primary ballots. The primary election is set for September 1.

Moulton, 47, has built his campaign around the need for generational change and breaking from the status quo. He highlighted the age question facing the Senate race: if reelected, Markey would be 80 before his third six-year term began. "It's time for the generation that grew up with the internet, and will have to live for decades with AI, to lead our way through it," Moulton said during his nomination speech.

Markey, who has governed as a progressive and emphasized his political stamina, won the party's endorsement Saturday. "You have a choice, you have to decide what the future looks like and what you're going to demand," Markey told the delegates. The heavily Democratic state makes this Senate contest one of the most closely watched primaries in the nation.

The two candidates attacked each other's records. Moulton called on Markey to participate in multiple debates before September, though they have currently agreed to just one debate later this summer. He argued the Democratic Party needed more than "incremental change" and needed to start fresh. Markey took aim at Moulton over past statements about transgender athletes and his acceptance of corporate PAC money. "Massachusetts deserves better than a senator who scapegoats trans kids," Markey said.

In 2024, Moulton drew criticism from some party members for saying he did not want his daughters playing sports against transgender girls. Critics said the comment echoed talking points from President Trump on transgender athletes in sports. Moulton later clarified that "my intent with that statement was to point out that, as a party, we need to be willing to have difficult conversations."

Moulton entered the House in 2014 after serving four tours of duty in Iraq as a Marine following the September 11, 2001 attacks. He ran briefly for president in 2020 but withdrew after a few months. Markey served as a Massachusetts congressman for nearly 40 years before winning his Senate seat in 2013. In 2020, he defeated a primary challenge from Rep. Joe Kennedy III by rallying progressive supporters.