Page 10 THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 2026 Mass. Primary Features Close Markey-Moulton Senate Race, Governor’s Council Contest By Neil Zolot Tuesday, September 1 is primary election day when the Democratic and Republican parties will choose their candidates for the federal and state Senate and House of Representatives and various state and county-wide offi ces in November. The marquee race is the Democratic race for U.S. Senator with current 6th District Representative Seth Moulton challenging longtime incumbent Ed Markey. In the Republican primary for the seat, John Deaton is running unopposed. Markey is leading in most polls, but only by about 6 points, around 41-35%. Everett Democratic City Committee Chairman Mark Puleo expects it to be close but thinks Markey will carry Everett. “He has a long connection to Everett having been its former Congressman,” he said, referring to Markey having once been the 7th District Representative. Chelsea Republican City Committee member and City Councilor Todd Taylor also thinks the Markey-Moulton race will be close. Puleo disagrees. “The Democratic candidate for Senator will win,” he said.” The majority of voters in Massachusetts want a Democratic Senator.” Another high-profi le race is for Governor, with incumbent Maura Healey running unopposed on the Democratic side and Michael Minogue and Brian Shortsleeve in the RepubEdward Markey U.S. Senator lican race. A recent New York Times poll has Minogue leading 46-15%. Taylor expects Minogue to win based on the fact that he’s more conservative and has his own fi nancial resources to finance a campaign. “The Republican base is overwhelmingly conservative,” he said, while characterizing Shortsleeve as a moderate candidate like former Governor Charlie Baker. He added that Minogue is like Baker in the respect his business management style is similar, which he thinks will help him in November. “There are problems Governor Healey has,” he said, referring to benefi ts given to undocumented immigrants. He also thinks it will be “an uphill battle” for the Republican nominee even though the state has elected a number of Republican governors, including John Volpe, Francis Sargent, William Weld, Baker and Paul Cellucci, while acknowledging it will be even harder in the Senate race givFor Advertising with Results, call The Advocate Newspapers at 781-286-8500 at Seth Moulton U.S. Representative en Massachusetts has not had a full-term Republican Senator since Ed Brooke in the 1970s. Scott Brown served only as an Interim Senator from 20102012 following the death of Ted Kennedy. Puleo also thinks Minogue will win the primary election but not defeat Healey. “He seems to attract Republican voters, but I think Governor Healey has done a great job, and voters will give her another term,” he said. For Lieutenant Governor, incumbent Kim Driscoll is running unopposed in the Democratic primary and Shawn Oliver is running unopposed in the Republican primary. Another competitive race is for the Governor’s Council 6th District seat, with incumbent Terrence Kennedy and Diann Bayliss running in the Democratic primary, but no one is running in the Republican primary. The Governor’s (or Executive) Council acts a check and balance against the Governor’s powers, performing many of the same tasks the Senate does on the federal level, including confi rming appointees to offi ces and state judges. “Everyone who runs for this offi ce spends a lot of time educating people about it because most people don’t know much about it,” Kennedy joked. Much like the Vice President in the Senate, the Lieutenant Governor presides over the Council and votes only in case of a tie. Each district covers fi ve state senate districts, making some bigger than some congressional districts. The 6th includes Senator Sal DiDomenico’s district, which includes Everett, Chelsea and parts of Cambridge and Boston, but also communities as far away as Marblehead, where Bayliss lives, to the northeast and Winchester to the northwest and Lynnfi eld, where Kennedy lives, and Wakefi eld along Route 128. Kennedy grew up in Everett and has a law offi ce here. While acknowledging there are few competitive races for Everett voters, he thinks the retirements of State Senator Jason Lewis, whose district includes all or parts of Melrose, Wakefield and Winchester, and State Representative Brad Jones, whose district includes Lynnfi eld, will bring out voters in those communities. “I hope to win, but you never know,” he conceded. He and Bayliss have been at civic events all over the district, including Bayliss being at Everett’s Independence Day celebration at Glendale Park on June 27 and recent Farmers’ Markets. Kennedy is out there, too, although some personal issues prevented him from campaigning as much as he’d have liked in the last few weeks. Bayliss is also an attorney and has had a lot of experience with immigration issues. She’s running, in part, to seat judges sympathetic to the needs of immigrants regarding visas, particularly immigrant juvenile visas. “I’ve been involved with immigrants a long time and want to be more involved,” she said. “Immigrants are subject to deportation until they get a visa, but are afraid of the system. There are certain criteria children need to meet to get a visa. Judges should not just be well educated, but compassionate.” Puleo expects Kennedy to win or at least carry Everett, but noted, “I can’t remember an earlier challenger making as much of an eff ort as Bayliss.” “She’s worked hard, but I don’t worry about what my opponent is doing,” Kennedy said. “I worry about what I need to do.” Marian Ryan and Marc Solet are both running for Middlesex County District Attorney in the Democratic primary with no candidates on the Republican side. For Attorney General incumbent Andrea Campbell is running unopposed in the Democratic primary with Michael Walsh running unopposed in the Republican primary. For Secretary of State, incumbent William Galvin is running unopposed in the Democratic primary with no candidates in the Republican primary. For Treasurer, Deborah Goldberg is running unopposed in the Democratic primary with Elizabeth Dionne running unopposed in the Republican primary. For Auditor, Diana DiZoglio is running unopposed in the Democratic primary with no candidates in the Republican primary. For the 7th District seat in Congress, incumbent Ayanna Presley is running unopposed in the Democratic primary with no candidates in the Republican primary. For State Senator, incumbent DiDomenico is running unopposed in the Democratic primary with no candidates in the Republican primary. For State Representative, incumbent Dan Ryan is running unopposed in the Democratic primary with no candidates in the Republican primary. For Middlesex County Register of Probate, Tara DeCristofaro is running unopposed in the Democratic primary with no candidates in the Republican primary. Voter turnout is hard to predict. It was over 50% in the November 2024 presidential election and over 30% in the 2025 Mayoral election, but only 12.49% in the 2024 presidential primary and under 20% in the November 2023 city election. Although City Clerk Sergio Cornelio reports the number of registered voters has risen from 24,500 to just over 25,000 since last year, he still expects a low turnout. “The turnout has been low in the past few years and I believe this election will be no different with around 4,000 voters at most,” he said. Puleo thinks the election being before Labor Day, which falls on Monday, September 7, will also be a factor in a low turnout. “The election is off the radar,” he said.
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