Massachusetts 5th District House Race 2026

Many Republicans facing tough November races are avoiding next week's GOP midterm convention in Dallas, the first held by a major party in over four decades. A POLITICO survey found roughly 45 of more than 70 GOP candidates and members contacted are skipping or undecided, citing scheduling conflicts, high attendance fees, and reluctance to appear alongside President Donald Trump, who is set to headline with Vice President JD Vance. Top leaders including Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune plan to attend, along with 2028 hopefuls like Sen. Ted Cruz.

Separately, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is weighing disciplinary action against Reps. Jared Golden and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez after the two Democrats helped Republicans pass a procedural rule, prompting a referral to the caucus's rules panel. Other pending items include a bipartisan bill policing lawmaker misconduct, a possible September floor vote on Russia sanctions legislation, and an unresolved GOP split over regulating data centers ahead of the midterms.

Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey, 80, won the Democratic primary Tuesday over U.S. Representative Seth Moulton, 47, who had campaigned on generational change. Markey, in Congress for nearly 50 years, drew support from progressive leaders including Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Elizabeth Warren, along with most of the state's congressional delegation. Moulton, a moderate Marine Corps veteran, was backed by New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill, VoteVets, and The Boston Globe's editorial board, which praised his "proven leadership." Markey held a fundraising edge of nearly $2 million and led by double digits in polling. He is heavily favored in November in a state Kamala Harris won by nearly 25 points in 2024.

A similar generational contest is unfolding in Boston's 8th District, where moderate Representative Stephen Lynch, 71, faces progressive challenger Patrick Roath, 39, who has outraised Lynch and narrowed his polling lead. Democrats hold all Massachusetts House and Senate seats, and this year's primary winners will be strongly favored in the general election.

Federal prosecutors in Boston have indicted John Anthony Proia III, 41, of Waltham, Massachusetts, on cyberstalking charges. The indictment does not name the alleged victim, but a person familiar with the matter confirmed she is Katie Miller, a conservative podcaster married to White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller. Prosecutors allege that between August 3 and September 23, Proia used multiple phone numbers to send more than 40 calls and texts to Miller using expletives and a "menacing tone," and also sent messages to her parents describing her husband in antisemitic and inflammatory terms. The FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force made the arrest, and Proia was released after an initial federal court appearance.

Attorney General Todd Blanche publicly condemned the conduct, and Katie Miller thanked him for the response. US Attorney Leah Foley said the defendant "repeatedly and relentlessly" targeted the victim and her family with "deeply disturbing communications" that "profoundly disrupted their lives." The case drew additional scrutiny after two FBI counterterrorism officials were demoted over handling of the investigation.

Liz Wills-O'Gilvie, executive director of the Springfield Food Policy Council and Gardening the Community, fasted for 19 days to protest federal changes to SNAP that have made benefits harder to access. She began eating liquid foods again this week for health reasons, citing lupus and hypoglycemia, and plans to continue with one meal a day.

The changes stem from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which added work and paperwork requirements and cut eligibility for some legal residents. In Massachusetts, about 160,000 people, including 60,000 children, have lost SNAP benefits since last year, roughly a 15% drop, even though most working-age recipients already have jobs. Wills-O'Gilvie has pushed Gov. Maura Healey for more funding to help the state's Department of Transitional Assistance manage the bureaucratic backlog. She and allied groups, including the Rural Coalition, have launched a national "stand in hunger" campaign urging people to fast for a meal or a day and call their legislators to reverse the SNAP cuts.

Dr. Mariah Lancaster has withdrawn from the Democratic primary for Massachusetts' open 6th Congressional District and endorsed fellow candidate State Rep. Tram Nguyen. Lancaster, a veterinarian who has also worked at the U.S. State Department and in the U.S. House, announced the decision Saturday on social media, praising Nguyen's "work ethic, backbone, and integrity" and calling her prepared to be a "progressive champion" for the district.

The seat opened after Rep. Seth Moulton said he would challenge Sen. Edward Markey in the 2026 Democratic Senate primary. With Lancaster out, five Democrats remain in the 6th District race. Nguyen has also picked up endorsements from Reps. Ayanna Pressley and Lori Trahan, adding momentum as the field narrows ahead of the primary.

Massachusetts primary voters largely stuck with incumbents while setting up several marquee fall races. Republican Mike Minogue, the former Abiomed executive who self-funded his campaign with roughly $15 million, defeated Brian Shortsleeve by a wide margin to earn the right to challenge Gov. Maura Healey, who ran unopposed. In the U.S. Senate primary, Ed Markey beat back a challenge from Rep. Seth Moulton by a nearly two-to-one margin, adding Moulton to a list of younger rivals, including former Rep. Joe Kennedy III, that Markey has turned aside in recent cycles.

Dan Koh won the crowded Democratic primary for Moulton's open House seat after a previous unsuccessful bid in 2018. All five incumbent U.S. House members facing primary challengers won, though Rep. Richard Neal saw an unexpectedly close race against a first-time candidate. The Norfolk County district attorney's race remains uncalled, with Djuna Elizabeth Perkins holding a narrow lead. On Beacon Hill, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu backed challengers against two state senators who had opposed her property tax proposal.

Agawam's City Council voted 10-1 to oppose provisions in Massachusetts' pending economic development bill that would let duplexes be built by right in all residential zones and multifamily housing by right on land owned by religious institutions. The resolution, backed by Mayor Christopher C. Johnson, argues zoning decisions should remain local rather than be set by state lawmakers on Beacon Hill.

The lone dissenting vote came from Councilor Thomas D. Hendrickson, who cited long waitlists for units managed by the Agawam Housing Authority as evidence that restrictive local zoning is worsening the region's housing shortage. Other councilors who supported the resolution acknowledged an affordability crisis but said denser zoning wouldn't necessarily lower costs, pointing to high construction costs and concerns about strain on local services and property values.

A legislative conference committee is currently reconciling House and Senate versions of the bill, which differ on whether to include duplex zoning, multifamily-on-religious-land provisions, both, or neither. Advocacy group Abundant Housing Massachusetts has pushed for both measures as part of efforts to close the state's housing gap.