WASHINGTON — Representative Seth Moulton, the Democrat from Salem who has long pushed for a new generation of leaders in his party, is seriously considering a challenge to Senator Ed Markey in the 2026 primary election, according to several sources who spoke to the Globe on condition of anonymity.
If he does run, it would set up a potentially fierce battle between high-profile members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation as well as serve as a test nationally of the appetite among Democratic voters for generational change. Markey, 79, is seeking another six-year US Senate term and previously served for nearly four decades in the US House before moving to the upper chamber in 2013.
According to one source familiar with Moulton’s thinking, political figures who are publicly and privately supportive of Markey have approached Moulton about running because they are concerned over Markey’s age. While Moulton has not made a final decision, the source said, the congressman is taking a serious look at entering the race.
In a statement to the Globe, Moulton said, “While I continue to look at the best options to represent Massachusetts moving forward, I have not yet made a decision about running for U.S. Senate.”
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Another Massachusetts Democrat, Rep. Jake Auchincloss of Newton, had also considered challenging Markey, but took himself out of the running earlier this month. He declined to endorse Markey at this stage. The primary election is scheduled for September 2026.
Speaking to the Globe earlier this month, Markey said “this is the most energized I’ve ever been” and is motivated to keep working to counter President Trump’s agenda. He has already been endorsed for re-election by several of his colleagues in the Massachusetts delegation, including Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Katherine Clark, the House Minority Whip.
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In August, Markey’s campaign rolled out a list of endorsements from local officials in Moulton’s North Shore district, but Moulton’s name was conspicuously absent. Earlier in September, the congressman was spotted back home in Salem with a film crew in tow, according to Politico. The exact reason for the shoot was unclear but it fueled chatter about a looming campaign launch.
Another source told the Globe they had spoken to some loyal Moulton supporters, who based on their recent interactions with the congressman expect him to enter the race.
A retired Marine Corps Captain who served four tours of duty in the Iraq War, the 46-year-old Moulton has sought a leadership role in Washington on issues of national security and foreign affairs. Currently, he is the top Democrat on an important House Armed Services Committee sub-panel on nuclear arms control.
More than anything, Moulton’s political career has been marked by a willingness to take political risks. He arrived in Congress by successfully challenging former Representative John Tierney, a senior Democratic lawmaker, whom he defeated in the 2014 primary.
Then in 2019, ahead of Democrats recapturing control of Congress, Moulton led a high-profile but ultimately unsuccessful attempt to unseat Nancy Pelosi as the caucus’ leader, citing the need for a new generation of leaders.
And shortly after, Moulton mounted a longshot bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, positioning himself as a fresh but moderate voice who could restore stable and smart leadership on national security. Failing to pick up much traction, he was among the first candidates to drop out of that race.
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The next year, Moulton courted controversy when he made an unauthorized trip to Afghanistan in 2021 during the Biden administration’s chaotic withdrawal from the country, which sparked a rebuke from Pelosi.
After Trump’s victory in 2024, Moulton found himself at the center of a national outcry after he told the New York Times that Democrats had mishandled the issue of transgender students in youth sports, saying he didn’t want his daughters “getting run over on a playing field by a male or formerly male athlete.” (He later said the Times had misrepresented his viewpoint.)
The backlash was harsh in Moulton’s district, where his campaign manager resigned in protest and activists demonstrated outside his district office in Salem. In July, Bethany Andres-Beck, a transgender software engineer, launched a primary challenge to Moulton for his congressional seat, based in part on his post-election comments.
Moulton has typically aligned more with the center-left wing of his party than the progressive wing; Markey, meanwhile, has positioned himself as a champion of the left, which he used to great success to fend off his last primary threat.
In 2020, Markey faced a challenge from former Representative Joe Kennedy III, who centered his campaign on the need for a new generation of leadership. But Markey, arguing that what matters isn’t someone’s age but “the age of their ideas,” tapped into the brewing progressive energy of that election cycle, while managing to deftly turn Kennedy’s famous name into a liability. He won by nearly 11 points.
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Sam Brodey can be reached at sam.brodey@globe.com. Follow him @sambrodey.