Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., defeated Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., in Tuesday’s Massachusetts Democratic Senate primary, turning back a younger challenger who made generational change a central theme of his campaign, as reported by Fox News.
The Associated Press projected Markey as the winner less than an hour after polls closed on Sept. 1, 2026. The victory puts Markey, 80, on track to seek another full term in the U.S. Senate after nearly five decades in Congress.
Moulton, who is 47, had made Markey’s age and the need for a new generation of Democratic leadership major parts of his campaign.
Despite that challenge, Markey held onto the Democratic nomination by emphasizing his progressive record and strong ties to the party’s left wing.
The race also highlighted a significant divide within the Democratic Party over transgender athletes and participation in sports.
Markey has continued to openly support transgender rights during the 2026 midterm campaign, including allowing transgender athletes to participate in sports.
“Trans athletes should be able to play,” Markey told The New York Times. “That reflects Massachusetts and who we are. And Seth Moulton does not.”
Moulton had previously taken a different position, arguing that Democrats paid a political price by avoiding the issue.
He said the party’s reluctance to address concerns about biological sex and women’s sports contributed to Democratic losses in 2024.
“I have two little girls, I don’t want them getting run over on a playing field by a male or formerly male athlete, but as a Democrat I’m supposed to be afraid to say that,” Moulton said at the time.
The disagreement placed the two Massachusetts Democrats on opposite sides of an issue Republicans have repeatedly used on the campaign trail.
Democrats nationally have generally been less vocal about transgender sports policies as they work to regain control of Congress.
Markey’s victory also represents a win for prominent progressives. The Massachusetts senator has long been associated with the Democratic Party’s progressive wing and co-authored the Green New Deal resolution.
During the primary campaign, Markey received endorsements from progressive figures including Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.
The outcome also comes amid a larger debate inside the Democratic Party over age and leadership.
Calls for generational change intensified following the political turmoil surrounding former President Joe Biden and his effort to seek a second presidential term.
Several longtime Democratic incumbents have faced younger challengers in recent election cycles. In one notable example, Rep. John Larson, D-Conn., 78, lost to Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, 47.
Moulton attempted to make a similar case in Massachusetts, arguing that the party needed new leadership.
His defeat means Markey will remain the Democratic standard-bearer for the Senate race in a state where Democrats have maintained a strong political advantage.
Massachusetts has not elected a Republican senator since 2013, when former Sen. Scott Brown lost his reelection bid to Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. Given the state’s political makeup, Markey’s positions are unlikely to pose a significant obstacle to his expected November campaign.
After conceding the primary, Moulton said his challenge had been about more than defeating one incumbent. He argued that confronting longtime Democratic leaders was necessary for the party’s future.
“Challenging the establishment and calling for a new generation of leadership isn’t easy, but it is necessary. I will continue to push the Democratic Party — and our country — to look towards the future,” Moulton said in a statement.
Markey’s win is also not his first victory over a younger Democrat in a primary centered partly on generational change.
In 2020, Markey defeated former Rep. Joe Kennedy III in the Massachusetts Democratic Senate primary.
Kennedy, a member of the Kennedy political family, had challenged Markey in an effort to win the nomination and represent a younger generation of Democratic leadership.
