2026 midterms · Massachusetts
Massachusetts Senate
U.S. Senate · primary Sep 8, 2026 · general election Nov 3, 2026
- candidates
- 2
- Democrats
- 1
- Republicans
- 1
candidates advanced
Edward Markey (D) and John Deaton (R) advanced from the primary held on Sep 8, 2026. The general election is on Nov 3, 2026.
The candidates
Two candidates recorded as advancing from the primary. One incumbent and one challenger.
Status is the FEC’s: an incumbent holds the seat, a challenger runs against one, and an open seat has no incumbent running. The lab records a primary’s result once it is official; candidates who did not advance are no longer listed.
Democrats
Incumbent · advanced from the primary · 29,329 statements classified · $6.0M raised · official profile
Republicans
Challenger · advanced from the primary · 2,560 statements classified · $1.7M raised
Notes
What they say
The candidates’ statements differ most on policy discussion: from 34% to 78%. Both candidates have 10 or more classified statements.
An AI model reads each statement and marks the kinds of statement it contains; each bar is the share of a candidate’s statements with that label. Incumbent members of Congress are measured on everything they publish in office, everyone else on posts on X. A rate describes what was said, not whether it was right.
How do the candidates’ statements compare?
Share of each candidate’s statements with each label; grey tick: median of ranked Senate candidates
Personal attacks
Median 3.1% · axis 0–80%
- Markey D4.1%
- Deaton R10%
Policy criticism
Median 18% · axis 0–80%
- Markey D29%
- Deaton R18%
Policy discussion
Median 61% · axis 0–80%
- Markey D78%
- Deaton R34%
Bipartisanship
Median 5.3% · axis 0–80%
- Markey D4.5%
- Deaton R2.9%
Credit claiming
Median 15% · axis 0–80%
- Markey D16%
- Deaton R5.6%
Show the data
| Candidate | Party | Statements | Personal attacks | Policy criticism | Policy discussion | Bipartisanship | Credit claiming |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edward Markey | D | 29,329 | 4.1% | 29% | 78% | 4.5% | 16% |
| John Deaton | R | 2,560 | 10% | 18% | 34% | 2.9% | 5.6% |
| Median, ranked Senate candidates | 3.1% | 18% | 61% | 5.3% | 15% |
The five kinds of statement
Personal attacks. Overtly questions a named person’s character, integrity or loyalty, or calls them names. Criticising a record or a policy does not count.
Policy criticism. Objects to a specific policy, law or court ruling with fact-based arguments, without personal attacks or emotional appeals.
Policy discussion. Discusses a specific public policy or policy area (health care, taxes, defense, …).
Bipartisanship. Emphasises working across the aisle, compromise or common ground between the parties.
Credit claiming. Claims credit for passing legislation, securing funding or grants, or other accomplishments in office.
Candidates with fewer than 10 classified statements are left out. The grey tick is the median of the ranked Senate candidates (50 or more statements), for scale.
Money
Reported receipts range from $1.7M to $6.0M. Both candidates have campaign-finance figures from the FEC.
Totals each campaign reports to the Federal Election Commission for the 2026 cycle: money raised, money spent and cash on hand at the end of the latest filing.
How much has each candidate raised?
Total receipts reported to the FEC, with cash on hand
- Edward Markey$6.0M$799.9K on hand
- John Deaton$1.7M$488.2K on hand
Show the data
| Candidate | Party | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand | Debts | Individuals | PACs | Party committees | Own money | Candidate loans | Through |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edward Markey | D | $6.0M | $7.0M | $799.9K | $0 | $2.7M | $681.4K | $62.0K | $0 | $0 | — |
| John Deaton | R | $1.7M | $1.2M | $488.2K | $1.0M | $579.9K | $9,975 | $0 | $53.4K | $1.0M | — |