Ed Markey beat Seth Moulton by nearly 30 points. Michael Minogue, a political newcomer, beat Brian Shortsleeve by more than 51. Democratic turnout ran about 106,000 votes ahead of 2022 while Republican turnout ran roughly 20,000 behind.
Here are the statewide and congressional results from Tuesday, with the caveat that governs everything below: nothing is official.
United States Senate, Democratic primary
| Candidate | Votes | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Edward J. Markey (incumbent) | 572,595 | 64.85% |
| Seth Moulton | 310,365 | 35.15% |
| Total | 882,960 |
Margin: 262,230 votes, 29.70 points.
Markey, 80, framed the win as generational rather than despite his age. He called it a “testament to the power of the progressive movement of our nation,” fueled by “young people demanding more from their leaders.” On the age question directly: “I’m always the youngest guy in the room when it comes to new ideas.”
Moulton conceded on election night: “I spoke to Senator Markey tonight and pledged that I will do everything I can to help him win re-election in November, to ensure a Democrat represents the state we both love.” He added that he was “proud of the race we ran, the culture our campaign built, and the conversations we started.”
Moulton’s decision to give up a safe congressional seat to make this run is the reason the Sixth District is open. He now holds no office after January.
Markey faces Republican John Deaton, who was unopposed in his primary, on November 3.
Governor, Republican primary
| Candidate | Votes | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Minogue | 192,287 | 75.84% |
| Brian Shortsleeve | 61,268 | 24.16% |
| Total | 253,555 |
Margin: 131,019 votes, 51.67 points. This is the largest margin in any contested statewide race on the ballot.
It is also the clearest signal the Massachusetts Republican electorate sent. Shortsleeve, the former MBTA general manager, had the Boston Globe’s endorsement and the backing of Senator Tom Cotton. Minogue, the party-endorsed candidate who had never run for office, took three quarters of the vote.
Minogue faces Governor Maura Healey, who was unopposed in the Democratic primary, in November.
One oddity worth noting: no Republican appeared on the ballot for Secretary of State. That race recorded 38,834 write-in votes and remains uncalled.
Contested congressional primaries
All six were Democratic. All were called. Every incumbent who faced a challenger survived.
| District | Winner | Result | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| MA-1 | Richard Neal (inc.) | 49,116 to 41,714 | 7,402 (8.15 pts) |
| MA-4 | Jake Auchincloss (inc.) | 66,256 to 24,275 | 41,981 (46.37) |
| MA-5 | Katherine Clark (inc.) | 84,645 to 22,553 | 62,092 (54.13) |
| MA-6 | Dan Koh (open seat) | 47,326 to 33,991 | 13,335 (11.56) |
| MA-8 | Stephen Lynch (inc.) | 57,105 to 45,426 | 11,679 (11.39) |
| MA-9 | William Keating (inc.) | 80,073 to 23,290 | 56,783 (54.94) |
MA-1 was the closest. Richard Neal, first elected in 1988, held on with 54 percent against Jeromie Whalen. It is the narrowest primary of his career.
MA-8 was billed as the upset that did not happen. Patrick Roath outraised Stephen Lynch, spending more than $1.2 million, and won the Globe’s endorsement. He lost by 11.4 points. Lynch trailed within Boston and carried the South Shore, which is the whole story of that district in one sentence.
Lynch on the race: “You also need people who have been through the wars, who can get things done, that bring a perspective over time.” Roath, campaigning in Stoughton, had argued the opposite: “I don’t think that I see the kind of passion and urgency and bold, creative thinking that you would be putting into that job if you really thought that this country was at such an important crossroads.”
No concession from Roath has been reported by a named source.
Governor’s Council
Four districts were contested. All four incumbents won.
| District | Winner | Result | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Mara Dolan (inc.) | 86,588 to 29,074 | 49.73 pts |
| 4 | Christopher Iannella (inc.) | 68,752 to 28,271 | 41.72 |
| 6 | Terrence Kennedy (inc.) | 55,980 to 39,946 | 16.71 |
| 8 | Tara Jacobs (inc.) | 61,542 to 37,857 | 23.83 |
The Governor’s Council is the eight-member elected body that confirms judicial nominations in Massachusetts, which makes these among the lowest-profile races with the most direct effect on the courts. District 6 was the only competitive one.
Turnout
No official turnout figure has been released. The Secretary of the Commonwealth’s office has published no post-election tally.
What can be said comes from vote counts in the top race on each ballot, which understate ballots cast because they exclude blanks and write-ins:
- Democratic: at least 882,960 votes cast in the Senate primary.
- Republican: roughly 253,000 to 259,000 votes cast in the governor primary.
Against 2022, when certified figures show 777,226 Democratic and 275,188 Republican ballots, Democratic participation is up roughly 106,000 and Republican participation is down roughly 20,000.
Against Secretary Galvin’s pre-election projection of about 800,000 Democratic and 280,000 Republican, Democrats beat the projection by roughly 10 percent and Republicans fell short by roughly 8 percent.
Before polls opened Tuesday, 555,525 ballots had already been cast: 464,616 Democratic and 90,909 Republican, equal to 10.7 percent of registered voters. Of 718,181 mail ballots distributed, 483,946 were returned, a 67.4 percent return rate.
What is not settled
Four races have no winner: the Suffolk and Middlesex state Senate seat, decided by 20 votes and uncalled; the 9th Bristol House seat, 14 votes; the 1st Franklin House seat, with two precincts outstanding; and the 1st Bristol and Plymouth Republican Senate primary. Two of the four are inside recount range, and the petition deadline is 3 p.m. Thursday, September 3.
And to repeat the framing at the top: no certified result exists for any race on this ballot. The Secretary’s certified results archive contains no September 1, 2026 election. Every number above is an unofficial tabulation subject to revision.
Common questions
Who won the Massachusetts Senate primary?
Ed Markey, with 572,595 votes to Seth Moulton’s 310,365, a margin of 29.7 points. Markey faces Republican John Deaton in November.
Who won the Republican primary for governor?
Michael Minogue, with 75.84 percent to Brian Shortsleeve’s 24.16 percent. He faces Governor Maura Healey, who was unopposed, on November 3.
Did any incumbent member of Congress lose?
No. All five incumbents who faced primary challengers won. Richard Neal in the First District had the closest call at 8.15 points.
What was turnout?
No official figure has been published. Vote counts in the top race on each ballot show at least 882,960 Democratic and roughly 253,000 to 259,000 Republican, which puts Democratic participation about 106,000 ahead of 2022 and Republican participation about 20,000 behind.
Are these results final?
No. Nothing has been certified. Four races remain uncalled and the recount petition window closes September 3.
Vote totals from Associated Press tabulation as of the afternoon of September 2, 2026, at 97 to 99 percent of expected vote counted depending on the race. All results unofficial. 2022 comparison figures from the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s certified results archive. Quotations as reported by WBUR and the State House News Service. General information, not legal advice.