Another round in the generational fight within the Democratic Party is coming to Massachusetts.
Rep. Seth Moulton will challenge Sen. Ed Markey for his Senate seat in 2026, setting up one of the biggest tests of Democratic voters’ appetite for generational change following the 2024 presidential election.
Moulton, who turns 47 this month, is putting age at the center of his announcement, saying in a campaign video to be released Wednesday that Markey is “a good man” but he should nevertheless move on after decades in Congress.
“We’re in crisis, and with everything we learned last election, I just don’t believe Senator Markey should be running for another six-year term at 80 years old,” he said in the video announcement. “Even more, I don’t think someone who’s been in Congress for a half century is the right person to meet this moment and win the future.”
Moulton has a history of challenging those in power. He was first elected to Congress in 2014 after defeating incumbent Rep. John Tierney, and tried to block Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) from becoming speaker in 2018.
Markey has been in Congress since 1976 and would be 86 at the end of another term. At 79, he’s one of the oldest members of Congress seeking reelection next year.
Markey has faced the generational change argument before and won. In 2020, he defeated then-Rep. Joe Kennedy III by double digits, bolstered by a horde of young, digital-savvy supporters.
Markey has been rolling out endorsements from prominent lawmakers and labor unions for weeks amid rumors of a potential primary challenge. Alex Rikleen, a former teacher and fantasy sports writer, is also running as a Democrat.
Moulton’s announcement sets off what’s likely to be a fierce and expensive primary in the safe blue state. Democrats need to pick up four seats to win control of the Senate.
A recent poll from the University of New Hampshire found that 42 percent of Bay Staters believed Markey deserves to be reelected, while 39 percent of those surveyed said he doesn’t deserve another term.
Another recent survey released by the conservative Fiscal Alliance Foundation found that in a head-to-head matchup, 43 percent of likely general election voters surveyed favored Moulton, while 21 percent favored Markey. But among Democrats surveyed, that gap was narrower: Moulton led Markey 38 percent to 30 percent.
On the Republican side, John Deaton, a cryptocurrency advocate and attorney who ran for Senate in 2024, is also considering a run for the Senate seat.
