Massachusetts — 7th District

U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley said Tuesday that she won’t seek the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in 2026, and instead will focus on running for reelection to her Boston-based seat in the U.S. House.

Pressley, D-7th District, said in a statement that she’ll discuss “the path forward and her vision for the Democratic Party” at an address in her district in the coming weeks.

The announcement settles the question over whether Pressley, 51, one of the most vocal progressives in the U.S. House, would challenge long-serving U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., in the 2026 primary.

Pressley said Tuesday that she was “deeply [humbled] by the people who had encouraged her to run for U.S. Senate. But larger responsibilities prevailed.

“It would be an honor to serve the whole Commonwealth — but with our daughter in her last year at home before college and a district that has been in the crosshairs of this White House, I am certain that the Massachusetts 7th is where I belong in this moment,” she said.

Markey, 79, who has been on Capitol Hill since the Carter administration, and who will be 80 by Election Day next year, has faced questions about his age as he’s campaigned for a third, six-year term.

“It is the honor of my professional life to be the Congresswoman for the Massachusetts 7th Congressional District,” Pressley said in the statement announcing her decision.

“Together, we’ve fought for policies of deep consequence and delivered for our communities using every tool we have—passing critical legislation to expand mental health and trauma supports, securing tens of millions in federal dollars to build a more just and equitable district, and doing impactful constituent services daily,” she said.

Markey still faces two primary challengers in U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, D-6th District, and Alex Rikleen, a political newcomer from Acton.

Markey’s campaign could not immediately be reached for comment on Pressley’s announcement.

In a statement, Moulton, 47, called Pressley a “powerful advocate for justice and opportunity in Massachusetts. And I have enormous respect for the work that she does.”

“I look forward to continuing to work with her on behalf of the families we both serve because I value her continued voice in the important debates ahead,” the Salem lawmaker said.

Pressley and Markey were running within the margin of error in a Boston Globe/Suffolk University poll released last week. Markey led the more moderate Moulton 45%-22% in that same poll.

First elected in 2018, Pressley currently serves on the influential U.S. House Oversight Committee.

She also has been closely identified with “The Squad,” a cadre of progressive lawmakers who also includes Democratic U.S. Reps. Ilhan Omar, of Minnesota, Rashida Tlaib, of Michigan, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, of New York, and Summer Lee, of Pennsylvania.