Edward Markey

With less than five weeks before Election Day, incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Ed Markey holds a comfortable 23-percentage-point lead over Republican challenger John Deaton in Massachusetts.

According to new polling from the University of New Hampshire, 53% of likely Massachusetts voters say they would vote for Markey, D-Mass., if the election were held today, while 30% say they would back Deaton.

Party for Socialism and Liberation candidate Joe Tache captured 9% of the vote, and 8% of voters remain undecided, according to the poll. Markey’s lead has expanded slightly since August, when he held a 19-point advantage over Deaton.

The uphill battle is familiar territory for Deaton, a 59-year-old cryptocurrency attorney from Bolton who suffered a 19-point loss to U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren during his 2024 Senate run.

Markey, of Malden, has a +15 net favorability rating, with 53% of likely voters holding a favorable opinion of him and 38% viewing him unfavorably, according to the UNH Survey Center.

Deaton, of Bolton, meanwhile, sits at a -1 net favorability rating, weighed down by a lack of name recognition, according to the poll.

Currently, 46% of likely voters say they do not know enough about Deaton to form an opinion. More than three-quarters of likely voters say the same about Tache.

The partisan divide in the race is stark, with 88% of Democrats backing Markey and 99% of Republicans supporting Deaton.

Among independents, Deaton trails both Markey and Tache, pulling just 14% of the independent vote compared to Markey’s 35% and Tache’s 32%, according to the poll.

The poll of 564 likely general election voters was conducted Sept. 17-21. It had a margin of error of 4.1%.