Edward Markey

MassLive asked the candidates seeking elected office in 2026 — incumbent and challenger alike — to fill out a brief questionnaire explaining their backgrounds, qualifications and interests and priorities in running for office.

We’re doing it to give you the information you need to make up your mind at the polls during this very consequential election year.

Here’s U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass. who’s seeking the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate and running for reelection to a third term.

Name: Ed Markey

Age: 79

Residence: Malden, Massachusetts

Education: Boston College (B.A., 1968); Boston College Law School (J.D., 1972) – the first member of Senator Markey’s family to attend college

Occupation: United States Senator

Political Experience: Massachusetts House of Representatives (1973–1976); U.S. House of Representatives (1976–2013); U.S. Senate (2013–present)

Other Civic Involvement: A founder of the Nuclear Freeze movement

Why are you running? What motivates you? What brought you into politics?

We are living in one of the most consequential moments in modern American history. Trump and MAGA Republicans are attacking our most fundamental rights, the cost of living is squeezing working families, the climate crisis is accelerating, and our democracy itself is being tested by extremism and corporate power.

I’m running because it’s a time to fight for an economy and a democracy that works for everyone, not just the billionaire class.

And I’ve never been more energized. Donald Trump brings out the Malden in me every single day and there is too much on the line for me to back down now.

Being progressive means holding the set of values that have guided my work since I was a state representative: standing with working people, taking on corporate power, protecting civil rights, and believing that government should be a force for justice and opportunity. That belief has driven every fight since.

Experience isn’t the opposite of change; experience is how you deliver real change. Generational change is about fighting to change the status quo – not electing whoever is younger, regardless of their politics. We need to take back the House and Senate this November and get back to the big, transformational change Massachusetts is known for.

What are the three most pressing issues for the office you are pursuing, and how would you address them?

My top priority is making life more affordable. That means passing Medicare for All at the federal level or my State-Based Universal Health Care Act so Massachusetts doesn’t have to wait on Washington to get there.

It means tackling the housing crisis. In June, I was proud to vote to pass U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s bipartisan housing bill, which Trump has now said he won’t sign. As I said: Sign the damn bill!

We also need free public transit so people aren’t forced to spend a fortune just to get to work. My Freedom to Move Act would allow more communities to join the fare-free revolution and reduce traffic, cut pollution and put money back in people’s pockets.

Second, I will continue leading on climate action as an economic strategy – creating good-paying union jobs, lowering household utility bills, and building a clean-energy innovation economy that keeps America competitive.

I wrote the Green New Deal and led the effort to create a $27 billion national climate bank via the Inflation Reduction Act.

When Trump tried to kill Vineyard Wind, I fought him – and the courts have sided against Trump in every case so far. Vineyard Wind is proof that clean energy works for Massachusetts to lower utility costs.

Third, I will remain unwavering in defending civil rights and equal protections, including strong LGBTQ+ protections, reproductive freedom, voting rights and safeguards against discrimination in emerging technologies.

How do you differ from other candidates? What sets you apart?

The difference in this race is simple: my record hasn’t changed. Progressivism isn’t something you discover when you run for higher office – it’s something you fight for your whole career. That’s exactly what I’ve done.

I don’t just talk about change; I write the bills, build the coalitions, and push them across the finish line. I’ve introduced or co-sponsored more than 570 laws currently on the books. I helped lead the fight for the Green New Deal, authored the Transgender Bill of Rights, co-sponsored Medicare for All, and have fought to expand Social Security, strengthen unions, lower prescription drug costs, protect reproductive freedom, defend immigrant communities and take on corporate power.

I’ve never been afraid to take on powerful interests. Whether it’s fighting corporate greed, pushing for stronger regulations, or holding private equity firms accountable when they put profits ahead of people, I’ve always been on the side of working families.

I don’t take corporate PAC money, I don’t invest in private equity, and I released my financial disclosure and tax returns without having to be asked because public service is a public trust. The people of Massachusetts deserve elected officials whose decisions are guided by the public interest, not their own financial interests.

I’m proud to have earned the support of progressive leaders and organizations across Massachusetts, including Senator Elizabeth Warren, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, the Sunrise Movement, Voters of Tomorrow, Planned Parenthood, the College and High School Democrats of Massachusetts, SEIU, the Carpenters, MTA, AFT Massachusetts, Local 26 and many others.

Those relationships were built by fighting alongside them for years and continuing to deliver results today.

What other information would you like voters to know about you or your policy positions?

I want voters to know what experience actually delivers. Just in recent months, I passed legislation to protect children’s privacy and mental health from Big Tech, reauthorized the Small Business Innovation Research program – with money now flowing to 283 companies in Massachusetts, second-most in the country – and passed my bipartisan Sea Turtle Rescue Act to help create a rescue and rehabilitation program for sea turtles affected by climate change.

My record goes deeper. Last month, we celebrated Juneteenth, a national holiday – that’s my law. I secured $1.7 billion for the Cape Cod Bridges, so the Sagamore will SAG-NO-MORE.

As the top Democrat on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security, I led the congressional response when private-equity ownership tore apart Steward Health Care, driving 31 hospitals into one of the largest hospital bankruptcies in American history with closures across our state.

Massachusetts won’t be bullied. When the Trump administration froze money to replace lead pipes here, I fought and got that funding restored. When Republicans tried to gut Small Business Innovation Research funding, I fought that battle and won. And right now I’m fighting to keep 45,000 Haitian TPS holders here – the backbone of our nursing, restaurant, and hospitality industries.

This is a moment that demands a fighter. I am fighting back against Donald Trump, and I’m still delivering for Massachusetts – and that’s exactly what I’ll keep doing in the Senate if I have the honor to continue serving as your Senator.