马萨诸塞州初选考验民主党对代际变革的接受度

Massachusetts primaries test Democratic appetite for generational change

2026-09-01T04:10:57.757Z / reuters.com

U.S. Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) walks, on the day of Senate votes, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 4, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

• Summary

• Markey holds nearly $2 million fundraising edge over Moulton and led recent polls by double digits
• Boston House primary pits 71-year-old Stephen Lynch against 39-year-old attorney Patrick Roath
• Primary winners are expected to cruise in ​November in heavily Democratic Massachusetts

WASHINGTON, Sept 1 (Reuters) – Generational change is on the ‌ballot in Massachusetts on Tuesday as Democratic voters choose whether to renominate 80-year-old progressive U.S. Senator Ed Markey or replace him on the ballot with 47-year-old U.S. Representative Seth Moulton.

Markey, who has served in Congress for nearly 50 ​years, is backed by leading progressives such as Senator Bernie Sanders and U.S. Representative Alexandria ​Ocasio-Cortez, as well as most members of the state’s congressional delegation, including U.S. ⁠Senator Elizabeth Warren.

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No members of the delegation have endorsed Moulton, a moderate U.S. Marine Corps veteran ​whose supporters include New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill and the Democratic organization VoteVets. The Boston Globe’s editorial ​board is also behind Moulton, casting him as a necessary agent of change with “proven leadership skills” and positions on key issues that align with most voters.

Markey has a nearly $2 million fundraising advantage over Moulton, and Markey has led in ​recent polls by a double-digit margin. The primary winner is heavily favored to win in November. ​Democrat Kamala Harris carried the state by nearly 25 percentage points in 2024.

BOSTON HOUSE RACE MIRRORS SENATE CONTEST

A similar ‌generational challenge ⁠is playing out in the Boston area, where moderate U.S. Representative Stephen Lynch, 71, is facing progressive attorney Patrick Roath, 39.

The Boston Globe’s editorial board endorsed Roath, writing that the younger candidate “gives every indication he can do better, think bigger, and aim higher as a member of Congress” than Lynch, ​whom the editorial board referred ​to as “backbench representation.”

Roath ⁠has outraised Lynch, $1.3 million to $910,000, and he has closed in on the incumbent in polling. A survey conducted for Leaders We Deserve, a group that ​has endorsed Roath, found Lynch’s lead had fallen to seven percentage points. A February ​poll conducted ⁠for Roath showed him trailing Lynch by 26 points.

Lynch was reelected in 2024 by a 50-point margin, but Democratic voters across the country this year have often backed younger, more progressive candidates, leading to the ⁠ouster of ​incumbents from states such as New York, Colorado and Michigan.

Democrats ​hold all nine of Massachusetts’ House seats and both Senate seats. The winner of the 8th Congressional District primary will be ​heavily favored to win in November.

Reporting by Nolan D. McCaskill; Editing by Michael Learmonth and Alistair Bell

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Nolan D. McCaskill reports on American politics, including the U.S. Congress. He previously covered Texas politics at The Dallas Morning News and national politics at Politico and the Los Angeles Times. He is a graduate of Florida A&M University and a member of the National Association of Black Journalists. Reach him at nolan.mccaskill@thomsonreuters.com.