This is a solid BLUE STATE that Harris won in 2024, Biden won in 2020 and Clinton won in 2016. Although Massachusetts has had Republican governors for 24 out of the last 35 years, it has only had a Republican Senator once since 1979, and that was to fill the seat of Ted Kennedy when he died halfway through his term. It has not had a Republican Representative in the US Congress since 1997.
There is little to no chance of a Republican winning a national race here in 2026. So Democrats can choose to vote third party and swap their vote with someone in a purple state where the Democrat does have a chance of winning a seat.
Democratic Primaries – Sept 1, 2026
All US citizens living in Massachusetts can vote in the Democratic primary election. If you are not registered to vote, or already registered as a Republican, you must register to vote Democrat by August 21, 2026. If you are “unenrolled” (neither D or R), you can choose the Democratic ballot when you arrive at your polling station or fill out a mail-in ballot.
For information about voter registration, the candidates, mail-in ballots and early voting, go to vote.org.
STRATEGIC VOTING RECOMMENDATION:
Vote for a progressive candidate in the Democratic Primary who will challenge not only the MAGA Republican madness but also the Democratic Party establishment!
Democratic Nomination for US Senate
Ed Markey has been a Senator for Massachusetts since 2013. Before that, he was US Representative for MA 7th District for 37 years. In total, he has been in Congress for over 50 years! In July 2026 he will turn 80 years old.
Markey was a keen supporter of the Nuclear Freeze movement in the 1980s, and remains a strong advocate for nuclear arms control, although he does not support the complete elimination of nuclear weapons or the Nuclear Ban Treaty. Along with AOC in the House, he has been the principal driver of the Green New Deal in the Senate, although this is largely a symbolic gesture at this point.
Ed Markey needs to retire from politics. He is “progressive” by Democratic Party standards, but we need and deserve much more than that. However, his main challenger in the Democratic primary is Seth Moulton, coming after him from the right. Moulton is much less progressive and more centrist than Markey.
Voting strategically in the MA Democratic primary therefore means voting for Ed Markey for US Senate. It does not mean voting for Ed Markey in the general election in November (see “Senate race” below)! But in the primary, our goal is to vote for progressives who will challenge the Democratic Party hierarchy and move the party leftward. In the case of Massachusetts, that means preventing an even more centrist Democrat from taking that Senate seat.
Democratic Nominations for US House
District 1
Richie Neal has been the US Rep for MA District 1 since 1989. He is one of the longest serving Members of the House, and ranking member of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. He is also one of largest recipients of corporate donations. Neal is considered “liberal” but he is not a member of the Progressive Caucus and is being challenged in the Democratic primary by a strong progressive candidate, Jeromie Whalen.
Whalen does not accept corporate donations to his campaign and has taken very clear stands on the genocide in Gaza, the war in Iran, climate change, unions, Medicare for All and other progressive issues.
Voting strategically in District 1 means voting in the primary for Jeromie Whalen. Having a strong progressive in that seat would send a powerful message to Democrats across the country: we need to turn this country around and not just get “back to normal” after Trump.
District 2
Jim McGovern is a champion of progressive causes in the US House of Representatives. He is one of only a handful in Congress who support the complete abolition of nuclear weapons. Voting strategically in District 2 means voting in the primary for Jim McGovern.
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
Ayanna Pressley is a champion of progressive causes in the US House of Representatives. She is one of the original “squad” together with AOC, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib. Voting strategically in District 7 means voting in the primary for Ayanna Pressley.
Senate Race
This is a Blue state. No matter how you vote, the Democrat is going to win this Senate seat! Therefore you are safe voting for a third-party candidate without risking the outcome of this election.
Recent Polling for 2026 Senate race (if available):
| Status | date | Democrat | Republican | other/don't know | %gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLUE | 23-Apr | 55% | 32% | 13% | D+23% |
Results of recent Senate races:
| year | Winner | Party | Winner votes | Runner-up | Runner-up votes | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Elizabeth Warren | D | 2041693 | John Deaton | 1365445 | 676248 |
| 2020 | Edward Markey | D | 2357809 | Kevin O'Connor | 1177765 | 1180044 |
And if you normally would vote Democrat, you can swap your vote to encourage someone to vote Democrat in a state where it really does matter.
STRATEGIC VOTING RECOMMENDATION:
Vote third party and swap your vote with a voter in a purple state. You are thereby increasing the chances of a Democrat-controlled Senate even though you are not voting Democrat in your own state.
Find out more about vote swapping here:
And you are ready to swap your vote NOW, go here:
House Races
For information on House races and our strategic voting recommendations, click on your US Congressional District below:
Presidential Election
Latest Opinion Polling Results in Massachusetts:
| state | STATUS | Trump | Harris | other/DK | % gap | date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | BLUE | 32% | 60.5% | 7.5% | 28.5% | Oct-15 |
Election Results in 2020:
| Trump | Biden | Won by | % gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,167,202 | 2,382,202 | 1,215,000 | 33.5% |
Election Results in 2016:
| Trump | Clinton | Won by: | % gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,090,893 | 1,995,196 | 904,303 | 29.3% |
https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/voting-and-registration/p20-580.html
AND, your most powerful contribution to this election may not be your own vote, but the vote of a friend, relative, colleague, former neighbor, or somebody else you know who does live in a “battleground” state. You may be the one person who can convince that person to vote, and to vote for our survival, at this election.
Click here for more ideas and help in convincing a friend or relative to vote.