The 2020 United States Senate election in Massachusetts was held on November 3, 2020, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, concurrently with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to the United States Senate in other states, elections to the United States House of Representatives, and various state and local elections. On September 1, incumbent Senator Ed Markey defeated U.S. Representative Joe Kennedy III in a competitive primary for the Democratic nomination, and Kevin O'Connor defeated Shiva Ayyadurai for the Republican nomination. Markey went on to win the general election with 66.2%.
The 2020 United States Senate election in Massachusetts was held on November 3, 2020, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, concurrently with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to the United States Senate in other states, elections to the United States House of Representatives, and various state and local elections. On September 1, incumbent Senator Ed Markey defeated U.S. Representative Joe Kennedy III in a competitive primary for the Democratic nomination, and Kevin O'Connor defeated Shiva Ayyadurai for the Republican nomination. Markey went on to win the general election with 66.2%.
Democratic primary
The state primary election took place on September 1, 2020. Incumbent Senator Ed Markey was challenged by U.S. Representative Joe Kennedy III, a member of the Kennedy family. Kennedy and Markey had similar political positions, both being considered reliably liberal Democrats, though Markey was considered more left-wing on the DW-Nominate scale. An elected senator had not been defeated in a primary since Richard Lugar in 2012, and an elected Democrat had not been defeated since Joe Lieberman in 2006.
In August 2019, it was reported that Kennedy was considering a primary challenge to Markey. He announced his campaign on September 18. According to Vox, one of the main reasons for Kennedy's decision to challenge Markey, rather than waiting for a Senate seat to open up, was that Markey was perceived to be an easier opponent than the raft of candidates that would run without an incumbent. Polling of the potential match-up showed Markey trailing Kennedy by as much as 14 points, leading to speculation that he would retire rather than face a primary defeat.
Kennedy faced skepticism about his reasons for challenging Markey; journalists observed his campaign had difficulty articulating a clear rationale. Eventually, Kennedy's campaign pitch largely focused around a message that he would "show up" for disadvantaged residents of Massachusetts, something he claimed Markey had not been doing. This strategy was heavily inspired by Ayanna Pressley's successful campaign for the U.S. House the previous cycle, and was aimed at casting Kennedy as an insurgent outsider running against the establishment.
Facing a severe polling deficit, Markey undertook to politically reinvent himself; his relatively low profile in Massachusetts gave him the opportunity to define himself for the first time to many voters. The main focus of Markey's re-election strategy was to promote himself as a left-wing iconoclast who clashed with the Democratic Party apparatus; to this extent a campaign ad from 1976 wherein Markey promoted his clashes with Massachusetts political bosses was widely used by his campaign. Markey also frequently promoted an endorsement he received from New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a favorite of the Democratic Party's left. Ocasio-Cortez's endorsement encouraged left-wing activist organizations to also support Markey, and resulted in the incumbent developing a large following on the internet.
Support from within the Democratic Party was divided. Markey received support from the DSCC, Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer, and DSCC chair Catherine Cortez Masto. He was also endorsed by key figures in the party's progressive wing, such as Ocasio-Cortez, fellow Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, and the youth-led Sunrise Movement. Kennedy received various endorsements from the House leadership, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, House Democratic Caucus chair Hakeem Jeffries, House Intelligence Committee chair Adam Schiff, and House Democratic Senior Chief Deputy Whip John Lewis.
As the campaign progressed, Markey began to explicitly criticize the Kennedy family, deeming them as emblematic of privilege, and frequently contrasting the Kennedy Compound with his own upbringing in Malden. Kennedy attacked Markey for these actions, accusing him of "weaponizing" the history of the Kennedy family. As the race entered its final days the contest began to assume an ideological meaning, with New York writer Gabriel Debendetti writing that the contest was viewed as a "fight for the soul of the national Democratic party", with both candidates claiming that a victory for them would be an affirmation of the strength of the left wing of the Democrats.
Candidates
Nominee
Ed Markey, incumbent U.S. senator
Eliminated in primary
Joe Kennedy III, U.S. representative from Massachusetts's 4th congressional district, and grandson of former attorney general and former U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy
Withdrawn
Washington Blask
Shannon Liss-Riordan, labor attorney
Steve Pemberton, chief human resources officer of Workhuman (endorsed Markey)
Allen Waters, perennial candidate (endorsed Kennedy)
Declined
Maura Healey, Massachusetts Attorney General
Scott Lang, former mayor of New Bedford (endorsed Kennedy)
Juana Matias, former state representative and candidate for Massachusetts's 3rd congressional district in 2018
Seth Moulton, former 2020 presidential candidate and U.S. representative from Massachusetts's 6th congressional district (ran for re-election)
Michelle Wu, Boston City Councilor
Endorsements
Joe Kennedy III
U.S. executive branch officials
Robert A. Sherman, former United States ambassador to Portugal (2014–2017)
Alan Solomont, former United States ambassador to Spain and Andorra (2010–2013)
Barry B. White, former United States ambassador to Norway (2009–2013)
U.S. senators
Kyrsten Sinema, U.S. senator from Arizona
U.S. representatives
Pete Aguilar, U.S. representative (CA-31st)
Colin Allred, U.S. representative (TX-32nd)
Joyce Beatty, U.S. representative (OH-3rd)
Anthony Brown, U.S. representative (MD-4th) and lawyer
Joaquin Castro, U.S. representative (TX-20th) and chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus
David Cicilline, U.S. representative (RI-1st) and co-chair of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus
Gil Cisneros, U.S. representative (CA-39th), philanthropist, and veteran
Emanuel Cleaver, U.S. representative (MO-5th) and United Methodist pastor
Angie Craig, U.S. representative (MN-2nd)
Sharice Davids, U.S. representative (KS-3rd), attorney, and former mixed martial artist
Veronica Escobar, U.S. representative (TX-16th)
Adriano Espaillat, U.S. representative (NY-13th)
Ruben Gallego, U.S. representative (AZ-7th)
Al Green, U.S. representative (TX-9th)
Raúl Grijalva, U.S. representative (AZ-3rd)
Steny Hoyer, House Majority Leader and U.S. Representative (MD-5th)
Hakeem Jeffries, Chair of the House Democratic Caucus, U.S. representative (NY-8th) and attorney
Eddie Bernice Johnson, U.S. representative (TX-30th) and chair of the House Science Committee
Joseph P. Kennedy II, U.S. representative (MA-8th) (1987–1999) (candidate's father)
Derek Kilmer, U.S. representative (WA-6th) and chair of the New Democrat Coalition
Ann Kirkpatrick, U.S. representative (AZ-2nd)
Annie Kuster, U.S. representative (NH-2nd), author, and attorney
Conor Lamb, U.S. representative (PA-17th), attorney, former federal prosecutor and former Marine
John Lewis, U.S. representative (GA-05) (1987–2020), House Democratic Senior Chief Deputy Whip (1991–2020), Chair of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (1963–1966) (deceased)
Sean Patrick Maloney, U.S. representative (NY-18th) and co-chair of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus
Stephanie Murphy, U.S. representative (FL-7th), business consultant, and professor
Beto O'Rourke, U.S. representative (TX-16th) (2013–2019), 2020 Democratic presidential candidate
Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House of Representatives and U.S. Representative (CA-12th)
Mark Pocan, U.S. representative (WI-2nd), co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and businessman
Katie Porter, U.S. representative (CA-45th), law professor, and attorney
Jamie Raskin, U.S. representative (MD-8th)
Linda Sánchez, U.S. representative (CA-38th) and former labor lawyer
Adam Schiff, U.S. representative (CA-28th) and chair of the House Intelligence Committee
Elissa Slotkin, U.S. representative (MI-8th)
Norma Torres, U.S. representative (CA-35th)
Xochitl Torres Small, U.S. representative (NM-2nd) and lawyer
David Trone, U.S. representative (MD-6th) and businessman
Lauren Underwood, U.S. representative (IL-14th)
Juan Vargas, U.S. representative (CA-51st)
Marc Veasey, U.S. representative (TX-33rd)
Filemon Vela Jr., U.S. representative (TX-34th)
Statewide politicians
Sila María Calderón, former governor of Puerto Rico (2001–2005)
Gabriel E. Gomez, Republican nominee in the special election in 2013
Sharon Pollard, former Massachusetts Secretary of Energy, former mayor of Methuen and former State Senator
Bill Weld, 2020 Republican presidential candidate, former governor of Massachusetts (1991–1997), Republican nominee for this seat in 1996, 2016 Libertarian vice presidential nominee
State legislators
Joe Boncore, state senator
Diana DiZoglio, state senator
Paul Feeney, state senator
Tom Golden, state representative
Adam G. Hinds, state senator
Patrick J. Kearney, state representative
Eric Lesser, state senator
Mark Montigny, state senator
Steven C. Panagiotakos, former State Senator
Jeffrey Roy, state representative
Jon Santiago, state representative
Chynah Tyler, state representative
Local politicians
Kimberley Driscoll, mayor of Salem
Ruthanne Fuller, mayor of Newton
John Leahy, mayor of Lowell (Independent)
Raymond Mariano, former mayor of Worcester
Matt O'Malley, Boston City Councilor
Yvonne Spicer, mayor of Framingham
Individuals
Brent Budowsky, political opinion writer and columnist
Jason Collins, former NBA player
Dropkick Murphys, punk rock band
Tiffani Faison, chef and LGBTQ advocate
Dolores Huerta, labor leader and civil rights activist
Victoria Kennedy, lawyer and widow of candidate's great-uncle, Ted Kennedy
Martin Luther King III, human rights advocate and former President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (son of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King)
Jim Obergefell, civil rights activist
Labor unions
American Federation of Musicians Local 9-535
International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers Local 7
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 103, 104, 1505, 223, 455, 326, 2325, 2321, 1499, 2222
International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 25
International Union of Operating Engineers Local 4
Laborers' International Union of Massachusetts
Massachusetts Building Trades Council
Massachusetts State Council of Machinists
Sheet Metal Workers' International Association Local 17
United Food and Commercial Workers Local 791
Utility Workers Union of America Local 369
Newspapers
The Berkshire Eagle
Irish Voice
Springfield Republican
The Sun
Ed Markey
Executive officials
Al Gore, 45th vice president of the United States (1993–2001), U.S. senator from Tennessee (1985–1993)
U.S. senators
Cory Booker, U.S. senator from New Jersey
Catherine Cortez Masto, U.S. senator from Nevada
Dick Durbin, U.S. senator from Illinois and Senate Minority Whip
Joe Manchin, U.S. senator from West Virginia
Chuck Schumer, U.S. senator from New York and Senate Minority Leader
Jeanne Shaheen, U.S. senator from New Hampshire
Elizabeth Warren, U.S. senator from Massachusetts and former 2020 presidential candidate
U.S. representatives
Bill Keating, U.S. representative (MA-09)
Ro Khanna, U.S. representative (CA-17)
Stephen F. Lynch, U.S. representative (MA-08)
Carolyn Maloney, U.S. representative (NY-12) and Chair of the House Oversight Committee
Jim McGovern, U.S. representative (MA-02)
Jerry Nadler, U.S. representative (NY-10) and Chair of the House Judiciary Committee
Richard Neal, U.S. representative (MA-01)
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, U.S. representative (NY-14)
Lori Trahan, U.S. representative (MA-03)
Statewide politicians
Suzanne M. Bump, state auditor, former state representative and state secretary of Labor and Workforce Development
Michael Dukakis, 1988 Democratic presidential nominee, former governor of Massachusetts (1975–1979, 1983–1991)
Steven Grossman, former Treasurer and Receiver-General of Massachusetts, former national chair of the Democratic National Committee