Rep. Ayanna Pressley Decides Against Primary Challenge to Sen. Ed Markey

Rep. Ayanna Pressley, a prominent member of the progressive “Squad,” announced Tuesday she will seek re-election to her current position representing Massachusetts’s 7th Congressional District rather than challenging incumbent Sen. Ed Markey in the upcoming Democratic primary.

The decision, which Pressley shared in a public statement, ends months of speculation about her potential entrance into the Senate race.

“Hearing from so many people from throughout our Commonwealth encouraging me to run for the United States Senate was deeply humbling and a testament to the strength of our movement,” Pressley said in her announcement.

Pressley cited personal considerations as a major factor in her decision, noting that her daughter is entering her final year at home before college. She emphasized her desire to be present for these important family moments, which would be complicated by the demands of a statewide Senate campaign.

“It would be an honor to serve the whole Commonwealth, but with our daughter in her last year at home before college and a district that has been in the crosshairs of this White House, I am certain that the Massachusetts 7th is where I belong in this moment,” Pressley explained.

While declining to enter the race this cycle, Pressley told The Boston Globe she hasn’t ruled out a future Senate bid. “I’m not closing the door to a Senate run down the line,” she said to the newspaper.

Her decision avoids what could have been an awkward matchup between two progressive Democrats. Markey, who is 79, has long been aligned with the party’s left wing and was a co-sponsor with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of the Green New Deal climate proposal.

The Massachusetts Senate race has already attracted Rep. Seth Moulton, another Massachusetts Democrat, who entered the primary earlier this year positioning himself as a younger alternative to Markey. Moulton has attempted to frame the contest as a generational choice for voters.

Recent polling suggests Pressley might have been a formidable challenger had she entered the race. A Suffolk University–Boston Globe survey released before Thanksgiving showed Markey leading Moulton by a substantial margin of 45% to 22% among likely Democratic primary voters. However, when Pressley was included in a hypothetical three-way matchup, she narrowly edged out Markey 35% to 34%, with Moulton dropping to 16%.

Massachusetts has increasingly become a stronghold for progressive politics, with its all-Democratic congressional delegation often pushing for bold policy initiatives on healthcare, climate, and economic justice. Pressley first won her seat in 2018 by defeating longtime incumbent Democrat Michael Capuano in a primary challenge, becoming the first Black woman to represent Massachusetts in Congress.

In her announcement, Pressley highlighted her accomplishments during her congressional tenure, including expanding mental health support and securing tens of millions in federal funding for her district, which includes parts of Boston, Cambridge, and several surrounding communities.

The congresswoman emphasized her continued commitment to fighting for a “more just and equitable Massachusetts” while remaining in her House role. Notably, she did not announce any endorsement in the Senate race between Markey and Moulton.

Pressley’s decision maintains the current balance within the influential progressive “Squad,” which also includes Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Cori Bush of Missouri, and Jamaal Bowman of New York.

The Massachusetts Senate primary is scheduled for September 2026, with the general election to follow in November. Massachusetts has not elected a Republican to the Senate since Scott Brown won a special election in 2010, and he was subsequently defeated by Elizabeth Warren in 2012.