Massachusetts Senate Election: Who Will Win in 2026

Massachusetts voters face nine ballot questions in the 2026 election, the most in over three decades, covering public records access, labor rights, election rules, taxation, land conservation, housing, marijuana, and guns.

Question 1 would extend public records law to the governor's office and Legislature, championed by state Auditor Diana DiZoglio over objections that it is too broad. Question 2 would let Committee for Public Counsel Services employees unionize. Question 3 would replace party primaries with a single open primary advancing the top two finishers, backed by advocates seeking more competitive races but opposed by the state Democratic Party. Question 4 would allow same-day voter registration. Question 5 would cap state revenue growth and require rebates above that limit. Question 6 would dedicate certain taxes to a conservation fund. Question 7 would permit single-family homes on smaller lots statewide to boost affordable housing, despite local-control concerns. Question 8 would repeal legal recreational marijuana. Question 9 asks whether to keep or repeal the state's 2024 gun reform law, with both sides framing it as a matter of safety or constitutional rights.

New Hampshire held primary elections Tuesday to pick nominees for Congress, governor and the state Legislature, with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen's retirement reshaping the ballot. Rep. Chris Pappas led a five-way Democratic Senate field that included progressive challenger Karishma Manzur, a research scientist and democratic socialist whose late surge, fueled by criticism of Pappas' pro-Israel donor support and his "present" vote on restricting arms sales to Israel, narrowed his once-commanding lead despite his large fundraising advantage and Shaheen's endorsement. On the Republican side, John Sununu, endorsed by President Trump over rival Scott Brown, held a wide edge among eight candidates; both Sununu and Brown are former senators previously defeated by Shaheen. The seat is one of a handful nationally that could help decide Senate control, with Democrats needing a net gain of four seats.

Pappas' departure from the 1st District opened a crowded race, with Stefany Shaheen (Jeanne Shaheen's daughter) and Maura Sullivan leading a nine-person Democratic field; Republicans chose among five candidates including Trump-endorsed businessman Anthony DiLorenzo and repeat candidate Hollie Noveletsky. In the 2nd District, Democratic Rep. Maggie Goodlander faced a primary challenge from state legislator Paige Beauchemin, while Republicans chose from candidates including repeat nominee Lily Tang Williams. Gov. Kelly Ayotte easily advanced toward a second term against two Republican rivals, favored against unopposed Democrat Cinde Warmington. Winners have eight weeks to campaign before the November 3 general election, as New Hampshire shifts future primaries to June starting in 2026.

At a food rights panel at UMass Amherst, U.S. Rep. James McGovern, state Sen. Jo Comerford, and state Rep. Mindy Domb argued that food access should be enshrined as a constitutional right in Massachusetts, framing hunger as a solvable political problem rather than a resource shortage. Rising costs for food, housing, and health care have left roughly half of Americans unable to afford a basic standard of living, according to the Urban Institute, with one report finding 60% of Massachusetts college students now food insecure, up sharply from the prior year. Lawmakers also pointed to federal SNAP cuts as worsening local hunger, and said the state is exploring funding to help colleges address student food insecurity.

A New York Times/Siena University poll released Sept. 24 shows Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, leading Democratic challenger Troy Jackson 49% to 46%, the best result for Collins in any public poll since Jackson entered the race in July. A separate UMass Lowell/YouGov poll taken earlier in September had Jackson ahead by five points, underscoring how close and unsettled the race remains.

Collins is the only Republican senator up for reelection in a state Trump largely lost in 2024, making the seat a top Democratic target. She has historically outperformed polling, having won comfortably in 2020 despite trailing throughout that campaign. The Times poll was conducted largely before a Sept. 22 ProPublica report alleging a pay-to-play scheme tied to her 2020 campaign, which Collins denies, calling it a "partisan hit job." Jackson, a former Maine Senate president, entered the race after primary winner Graham Platner dropped out amid misconduct allegations. Voters see Collins favorably despite her largely pro-Trump voting record in 2025, while a majority in Maine disapprove of Trump's job performance.

Fidelity Investments has ended its hybrid work policy for its Boston-based workforce, requiring more than 6,000 employees to return to in-person work five days a week starting this week. The change ends a two-out-of-four-weeks hybrid arrangement that had been in place for the past two years, making Fidelity one of the largest Boston employers to fully reverse pandemic-era remote work flexibility.

The shift is expected to add to local commuter traffic and is being closely watched as a signal of broader corporate return-to-office trends among major financial and investment firms. Fidelity's move follows similar full-time office mandates from other large employers nationally, as companies weigh productivity, culture, and real estate considerations against employee preferences for flexibility. The change coincides with the start of the school year in Boston, compounding morning commute congestion in the area.

A new economic impact study commissioned by the St. Patrick's Committee of Holyoke found that the city's St. Patrick's Parade, road race and related events generate about $39.3 million in annual economic output for Hampden and Hampshire counties in Massachusetts. Conducted by Cambridge Econometrics, the study estimated the celebrations support 275 jobs, produce $10.6 million in wages, and create $23.4 million in new local sales after accounting for spending that would have occurred anyway.

The parade drew roughly 350,000 spectators and the road race about 56,000 participants and spectators, including 6,000 runners, with visitor spending topping $23 million. Local businesses, including hotels and restaurants, reported major revenue spikes during the weekend. The study also found the events generate about $2.3 million in state tax revenue and $86,000 for Holyoke, and credited roughly 200 volunteers who contribute about 32,000 hours annually, work valued near $970,000. It was the first study to include the road race alongside the parade.

Massachusetts voters headed to the polls Tuesday in a primary highlighted by a competitive Democratic Senate contest between incumbent Sen. Ed Markey, 80, and U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, 47. The race reverses a familiar dynamic in this year's Democratic primaries, with progressives Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez backing the incumbent over the more moderate challenger. Markey held a large fundraising advantage and led recent polls by double digits; Moulton, a Marine veteran and 2020 presidential candidate, drew support from The Boston Globe's editorial board, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill, and VoteVets. Moulton has also faced scrutiny over past comments on transgender athletes, which he has since apologized for. The primary winner will face Republican John Deaton in November.

Similar generational clashes played out down-ballot: progressive attorney Patrick Roath, who has spent more than $1 million on his campaign, challenged longtime Rep. Stephen Lynch in the 8th District, while a crowded six-way Democratic field, including Dan Koh and Tram Nguyen, competed to succeed Moulton in the 6th District. Other notable races include a Republican gubernatorial primary between Mike Minogue and Brian Shortsleeve, and contested district attorney races in Norfolk and Suffolk counties. Given the state's heavy Democratic lean, primary winners are strongly favored in November, with results shaping the competitive landscape ahead of the 2026 midterms.

Sen. Ed Markey, 80, has defeated Rep. Seth Moulton, 47, in Massachusetts' Democratic Senate primary, turning back a generational-change challenge to secure his party's nomination for a third full term. Moulton, a Marine veteran and moderate, argued Markey's decades in Washington hadn't delivered results, while Markey rallied progressives by citing his 2022 climate legislation and backing from Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Moulton also faced criticism over 2024 remarks on transgender athletes, which he apologized for; in his concession speech he pledged to support Markey and said his campaign had started necessary conversations. Markey, who beat Joe Kennedy III in 2020, now advances as the favorite against Republican John Deaton, who was unopposed in his primary and previously lost to Warren by about 20 points, and Markey says he won't seek a fourth term if reelected.

Similar generational contests played out down-ballot: Rep. Stephen Lynch, 71, defeated attorney Patrick Roath, 39, in the 8th District, and Rep. Richard Neal, 77, defeated progressive teacher Jeromie Whalen, 39, in the 1st District, with older incumbents prevailing in both races. A crowded six-way race also continues to replace Moulton in the 6th District, led by Dan Koh and state Rep. Tram Nguyen. Because Massachusetts leans heavily Democratic, these primaries effectively decide the general election winners in November.

Alaska's U.S. House primary has narrowed to a general-election contest between Republican incumbent Nick Begich, independent Bill Hill, an incarcerated New York Democrat, and a Fairbanks Libertarian, after several Democratic contenders dropped out. Certified results showed Begich winning the primary with 44.6% to Hill's 32.5%, a 12-point gap. Anchorage Democrat Matt Schultz, the party's former front-runner, suspended his campaign in July, citing weak institutional support, and endorsed Hill; other Democratic candidates also withdrew to consolidate anti-Begich votes.

Hill, a Dena'ina Athabascan educator and fisherman, is campaigning on healthcare costs and inflation while also backing oil and gas development alongside renewables. Begich, part of a prominent Alaska political family who unseated Mary Peltola in 2024, is running on legislative wins including energy development measures and the Trump-backed tax and spending law. Begich holds a large fundraising edge. Political analysts are split: some see a plausible path for Hill given Alaska's heavy independent registration and a national climate favoring Democrats and independents, while others call Begich's reelection all but certain under Alaska's ranked-choice general election system.