BOSTON — Ending months of speculation, Rep. Ayanna Pressley said Tuesday she won’t be running for U.S. Senate in next year’s midterms, clearing the path for a high-stakes Democratic primary showdown between incumbent Sen. Ed Markey and challenger Rep. Seth Moulton.
Pressley, a Boston Democrat who represents the 7th Congressional District, announced in an email to her supporters that she will be seeking reelection next year.
“I feel heartened and encouraged by the coalition that has emerged encouraging me to take a look at this, and seeing the strong path to victory, I spent deliberate time giving a statewide run the careful consideration it deserves,” she said. “Ultimately, at this moment, I feel called to my community and my family.”
Her decision clears a path for Moulton, a five-term congressman who announced in October that he is challenging Markey for the U.S. Senate seat in next year’s Democratic primary.
The Salem Democrat has framed his campaign around the need for generational change in Washington, D.C. He says the party needs new leaders to push back harder against Republican President Donald Trump’s agenda.
“Congresswoman Pressley is a powerful advocate for justice and opportunity in Massachusetts, and I have enormous respect for the work she does,” Moulton said in a statement Tuesday night. “I look forward to continuing to work with her on behalf of the families we both serve because I value her continued voice in the important debates ahead.”
The Markey-Moulton showdown promises to be a bruising Democratic primary that could hinge on questions of generational power in U.S. politics, which continue to loom over the national party after former President Joe Biden’s exit from the 2024 presidential race.
Markey’s age — he will be 80 next year — is expected to be a key factor in the race.
In his campaign-launch video, Moulton, 46, described Markey as a “good man.” but said it’s “time for a new generation of leadership” in Washington.
But Markey ruffles at claims he’s too old for the job, and has touted a long list of endorsements from top Democratic Party officials who back his reelection.
Markey deflected a Democratic primary challenge in the 2020 elections with a 10-point victory over Rep. Joe Kennedy III, becoming the first to defeat a member of the state’s storied political family in a statewide campaign.
A recent University of Massachusetts at Amherst poll showed Markey with a double-digit lead over Moulton and former teacher Alex Rikleen in a Democratic primary match-up. The poll of 800 likely voters found 51% supported Markey, compared to 28% for Moulton and 6% for Rikleen. About 13% said they were undecided.
But Markey’s advantage narrowed if Pressley decided to jump into the race before next year’s primary, UMass pollsters found.
Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com.