U.S. Senator Ed Markey won re-election Tuesday, according to unofficial Associated Press results, overcoming questions about his age and decades-long tenure in Washington, as Republican John Deaton struggled to overcome not only the state’s Democratic lean but the broader challenge of being tied to a deeply unpopular president.
Markey, a longtime stalwart in the Democratic party, won his third term in the U.S. Senate after nearly 40 years in the House of Representatives. His win came after surviving a Democratic primary challenge from Rep. Seth Moulton, whose campaign centered concerns about Markey’s age and the need for generational change. Markey is the longest tenure House of Representative ever to be elected into the Senate.
During the “Wicked Blue” watch party at the Fairmont Copley Plaza in Back Bay, Markey gave an energetic speech to Democratic supporters in attendance.
“Gas prices are up, grocery prices are up, tariffs are up, health care premiums are up,” Markey said to the crowd. “And the anger of the American voters is up.”
He outlined his goals for his term to support Medicare for All, the Green New Deal and the Trans Bill of Rights, which he reintroduced into Congress this February.
“A new day is rising in America,” Markey said, “and it’s ours for the taking if we have the resolve to seize it. Together, we will create a healthier, fairer, more prosperous, peaceful, and hope-filled future for everyone.”
Markey campaigned on lowering the cost of living, addressing climate change and expanding economic opportunities. His victory underscored the challenges facing Republicans in Massachusetts, where Democrats hold a large advantage in voter registration and where the national political climate of dissatisfaction with President Trump worked against Deaton.
“It was already going to be an uphill battle for a Republican Senate candidate in Massachusetts to win. And when that set of circumstances is combined with the national conditions, it just would prove too much to overcome for almost any candidate,” said Benjamin Schneer, associate professor of public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School.
At a gathering of his supporters in Weymouth, Deaton called the result “disappointing” and made a pitch for the Massachusetts delegation in Washington to “put people before politics.”
“I hope that Senator Markey thinks about healthcare, thinks about housing, thinks about energy, thinks about vocational training, thinks about how to handle AI and all the challenges. And not be so focused on partisan politics,” Deaton told the crowd.
Markey proved early on that he could push past concerns that his age would be a liability — winning the Democratic primary against Moulton, despite his argument that the party needed younger leadership.
Following his primary victory, Markey claimed that his win was “testament to the power of the progressive movement of our nation… fueled by young people demanding more from their leaders.”
On the campaign trail Markey, who will be 86 by the end of his term, said that this would be his last term. He is one of the most progressive senators in Congress, ranking second according to Progressive Punch, a non-partisan database of Congressional voting records.
Charles Hughes, a student at Williams College, is the chair of the Massachusetts College Democrats, which officially endorsed Markey in his primary race against Seth Moulton.
“He’s one of those leaders in Washington that I think young people feel is fighting not just the battles of today, but kind of like … fighting for the future of young people,” Hughes said.
Deaton meanwhile had sought to capitalize on dissatisfaction with longtime incumbents. He’d portrayed Markey and other Democrats as “career politicians” who had failed to address rising housing and energy costs.
A former Marine and attorney who has advocated for cryptocurrency, Deaton had emphasized his rise from poverty, his experience as a Marine, and his self-made success, which he detailed in a 2023 memoir “Food Stamp Warrior.” He also prioritized lowering the cost of healthcare by breaking up large insurance conglomerates that also control pharmacy prices.
Despite running as a Republican, Deaton tried to distance himself from President Trump and establish his bona fides as an independent to appeal to a key part of the state’s electorate. In October’s debate with Markey, he said “F the Republican party. F the Democratic Party.”
According to state data, just under 8% of the state’s registered voters are Republican. Deaton had hoped to lure many of the roughly 67% who are unenrolled, also known as independent voters.
But Deaton, a relatively recent transplant to Massachusetts, may not have been able to overcome a lack of name recognition, reflected in a poll in late September.
Some voters who supported Deaton described their votes not as an endorsement of his platform, but rather a rejection of Markey.
“I’m not a Markey fan,” said Linda, a Watertown voter who supported Deaton, “I think he’s been in there too long. Way too long.”
Lucy, a self-described independent from Waltham, had similar concerns.
“I think he’s too old. I think he did a good job,” she said, “but it’s time for somebody else.”
Neither voter could identify a specific Deaton policy or campaign issue that had drawn them to his candidacy.
This was the second attempt by the multimillionaire attorney to run for a Senate seat after he failed to unseat U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren in 2024. Though he was primaried in the run-up to that race, Deaton ran unopposed in the Republican primary in September, potentially a sign of future party support.
His campaign was largely self-funded. According to the latest Federal Election Commission data, Deaton’s campaign raised nearly $1.7 million, with Deaton himself contributing more than $1 million. Markey’s campaign has raised about $8.7 million but has spent over $9.5 million.
Despite another unsuccessful Senate bid, Deaton now has two major statewide runs under his belt, potentially giving him a stronger foundation for future political runs and statewide name recognition.
Still, the result reflected the difficult terrain that the state represents for Republicans…
“And so I think the lesson is that, you know, this was just not going to be a year for Republicans in Massachusetts, under almost any circumstances,” analyst Schneer said.
