Incumbent Ed Markey defeated Seth Moulton in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Massachusetts on Sept. 1. Markey’s win makes him the second-oldest senator, after 83-year-old Jim Risch (R-Idaho), to defeat a primary challenger this year.
This was one of several primaries in 2026 in which age was an issue. At the time of the primary, Markey was 80, and Moulton was 47. Markey ran on his record, while Moulton said he would be part of a new generation of leadership.
Markey said, "I'm more energized than I've ever been before. I am crisscrossing the state. I am fighting for families. It brings out the Malden in me every single day, seeing what Trump is doing to families. Congressman Moulton has a hard time keeping up with me in the course of this campaign. So for me, if somebody can't do the job, they should just step down. But I can do the job."
