# 2020 United States Senate election in Massachusetts

Elections in Massachusetts :
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Federal government
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Ballot measures
1980: Proposition 2½
2002: English Language Education in Public Schools
2006: 2008
Greyhound Protection
Sensible Marijuana Policy
State Income Tax Repeal
2010: No Sales Tax for Alcohol
Sales Tax Relief
Comprehensive Permits and Regional Planning
2012: Right to Repair
Death with Dignity
Medical Marijuana
2014: Automatic Gas Tax Increase Repeal
Expansion of Bottle Deposits
Casino Repeal
Paid Sick Days
2016: Expand Slot Machine Gaming
Charter School Expansion
Farm Animal Confinement
Legalization, Regulation and Taxation of Marijuana
2018: Gender Identity Anti-Discrimination
2020: pending :
Boston
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Springfield
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Worcester
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Massachusetts portal :
vte :
The 2020 United States Senate election in Massachusetts was held on November 3, 2020, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, concurrently with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to the United States Senate in other states, elections to the United States House of Representatives, and various state and local elections. On September 1, incumbent senator Ed Markey defeated U.S. Representative Joe Kennedy III in a competitive primary for the Democratic nomination, and Kevin O'Connor defeated Shiva Ayyadurai for the Republican nomination. Markey went on to win the general election with 66.2% of the vote, and was thus re-elected to a second full term in a landslide.

## Democratic primary

The state primary election took place on September 1, 2020. Incumbent senator Ed Markey was challenged by U.S. Representative Joe Kennedy III, a member of the Kennedy family. Kennedy and Markey had similar political positions, both being considered reliably liberal Democrats, though Markey was considered more left-wing on the DW-Nominate scale. An elected senator had not been defeated in a primary since Richard Lugar in 2012, and an elected Democrat had not been defeated since Joe Lieberman in 2006.
In August 2019, it was reported that Kennedy was considering a primary challenge to Markey. He announced that he would be launching a campaign on September 18. According to Vox, one of the main reasons for Kennedy's decision to challenge Markey, rather than waiting for a Senate seat to open up, was that Markey was perceived to be an easier opponent than the raft of candidates that would run without an incumbent. Polling of the potential match-up showed Markey trailing Kennedy by as much as 14 points, leading to speculation that he would retire rather than face a humiliating primary defeat, but he resolved to run for re-election.
Kennedy faced skepticism about his reasons for running to replace Markey, and journalists observed that his campaign had difficulty articulating a clear rationale. Eventually, Kennedy's campaign pitch largely focused around a message that he would "show up" for disadvantaged residents of Massachusetts, something he claimed Markey had not been doing. This strategy was heavily inspired by Ayanna Pressley's successful campaign for the U.S. House the previous cycle, and was aimed at casting Kennedy as an insurgent outsider running against the establishment.
Facing a severe polling deficit, Markey undertook to politically reinvent himself; his relatively low profile in Massachusetts gave him the opportunity to essentially define himself for the first time to many voters. The main focus of Markey's re-election strategy was to promote himself as a left-wing iconoclast who clashed with the Democratic Party apparatus; to this extent a campaign ad from 1976 wherein Markey promoted his clashes with Massachusetts political bosses was widely used by his campaign. Markey also frequently promoted an endorsement he received from New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a favorite of the Democratic Party's left; Ocasio-Cortez's endorsement encouraged left-wing activist organizations to also support Markey, and resulted in the incumbent developing a large following on the internet.
Support from within the Democratic Party was divided. Markey received support from the DSCC, Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer, and DSCC chair Catherine Cortez Masto. He was also endorsed by key figures in the party's progressive wing, such as Ocasio-Cortez, fellow Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, and the youth-led Sunrise Movement. Kennedy received various endorsements from the House leadership, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi (which was noteworthy because speakers rarely endorse candidates in competitive primaries, especially challengers to incumbents), House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, House Democratic Caucus chair Hakeem Jeffries, House Intelligence Committee chair Adam Schiff, and House Democratic Senior Chief Deputy Whip John Lewis.
As the campaign progressed, Markey began to explicitly criticise the Kennedy family, deeming them as emblematic of privilege, and frequently contrasting the Kennedy Compound with his own upbringing in Malden. Kennedy attacked Markey for these actions, accusing him of "weaponizing" the history of the Kennedy family. As the race entered its final days the contest began to assume an ideological meaning, with New York writer Gabriel Debendetti writing that the contest was viewed as a "fight for the soul of the national Democratic party", with both candidates claiming that a victory for them would be an affirmation of the strength of the left-wing of the Democrats.

### Candidates
#### Nominee

* Ed Markey, incumbent U.S. senator

#### Eliminated in primary

* Joe Kennedy III, U.S. representative from Massachusetts' 4th congressional district, and grandson of former attorney general and former U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy

#### Withdrawn

* Washington Blask
* Shannon Liss-Riordan, labor attorney
* Steve Pemberton, chief human resources officer of Workhuman (endorsed Markey)
* Allen Waters, perennial candidate (endorsed Kennedy)

#### Declined

* Maura Healey, Massachusetts Attorney General
* Scott Lang, former mayor of New Bedford (endorsed Kennedy)
* Juana Matias, former state representative and candidate for Massachusetts's 3rd congressional district in 2018
* Seth Moulton, former 2020 presidential candidate and incumbent U.S. Representative for Massachusetts's 6th congressional district (running for reelection)
* Michelle Wu, Boston City Councilor

### Endorsements
#### U.S. Executive Branch officials

* Robert A. Sherman, former United States ambassador to Portugal (2014–2017)
* Alan Solomont, former United States ambassador to Spain and Andorra (2010–2013)
* Barry B. White, former United States ambassador to Norway (2009–2013)

#### U.S. senators

* Kyrsten Sinema, U.S. senator from Arizona

#### U.S. representatives

* Pete Aguilar, U.S. representative (CA-31st)
* Colin Allred, U.S. representative (TX-32nd)
* Joyce Beatty, U.S. representative (OH-3rd)
* Anthony Brown, U.S. representative (MD-4th) and lawyer
* Joaquin Castro, U.S. representative (TX-20th) and chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus
* David Cicilline, U.S. representative (RI-1st) and co-chair of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus
* Gil Cisneros, U.S. representative (CA-39th), philanthropist, and veteran
* Emanuel Cleaver, U.S. representative (MO-5th) and United Methodist pastor
* Angie Craig, U.S. representative (MN-2nd)
* Sharice Davids, U.S. representative (KS-3rd), attorney, and former mixed martial artist
* Veronica Escobar, U.S. representative (TX-16th)
* Adriano Espaillat, U.S. representative (NY-13th)
* Ruben Gallego, U.S. representative (AZ-7th)
* Al Green, U.S. representative (TX-9th)
* Raúl Grijalva, U.S. representative (AZ-3rd)
* Steny Hoyer, House Majority Leader and U.S. Representative (MD-5th)
* Hakeem Jeffries, Chair of the House Democratic Caucus, U.S. representative (NY-8th) and attorney
* Eddie Bernice Johnson, U.S. representative (TX-30th) and chair of the House Science Committee
* Joseph P. Kennedy II, U.S. representative (MA-8th) (1987–1999) (Kennedy's father)
* Derek Kilmer, U.S. representative (WA-6th) and chair of the New Democrat Coalition
* Ann Kirkpatrick, U.S. representative (AZ-2nd)
* Annie Kuster, U.S. representative (NH-2nd), author, and attorney
* Conor Lamb, U.S. representative (PA-17th), attorney, former federal prosecutor and former Marine
* John Lewis, U.S. representative (GA-05) (1987–2020), House Democratic Senior Chief Deputy Whip (1991–2020), Chair of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (1963–1966) (deceased)
* Sean Patrick Maloney, U.S. representative (NY-18th) and co-chair of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus
* Stephanie Murphy, U.S. representative (FL-7th), business consultant, and professor
* Beto O'Rourke, U.S. Representative(TX-16th) (2013–2019), 2020 Democratic presidential candidate
* Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House of Representatives and U.S. Representative (CA-12th)
* Mark Pocan, U.S. representative (WI-2nd), co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and businessman
* Katie Porter, U.S. representative (CA-45th), law professor, and attorney
* Jamie Raskin, U.S. representative (MD-8th)
* Linda Sánchez, U.S. representative (CA-38th) and former labor lawyer
* Adam Schiff, U.S. representative (CA-28th) and chair of the House Intelligence Committee
* Elissa Slotkin, U.S. representative (MI-8th)
* Norma Torres, U.S. representative (CA-35th)
* Xochitl Torres Small, U.S. representative (NM-2nd) and lawyer
* David Trone, U.S. representative (MD-6th) and businessman
* Lauren Underwood, U.S. representative (IL-14th)
* Juan Vargas, U.S. representative (CA-51st)
* Marc Veasey, U.S. representative (TX-33rd)
* Filemon Vela Jr., U.S. representative (TX-34th)

#### Statewide politicians

* Sila María Calderón, former governor of Puerto Rico (2001–2005)
* Gabriel E. Gomez, Republican nominee in the special election in 2013
* Sharon Pollard, former Massachusetts Secretary of Energy, former mayor of Methuen and former State Senator
* Bill Weld, 2020 Republican presidential candidate, former governor of Massachusetts (1991–1997), Republican nominee for this seat in 1996, 2016 Libertarian vice presidential nominee

#### State legislators

* Joe Boncore, state senator
* Diana DiZoglio, state senator
* Paul Feeney, state senator
* Tom Golden, state representative
* Adam G. Hinds, state senator
* Patrick J. Kearney, state representative
* Eric Lesser, state senator
* Mark Montigny, state senator
* Steve Panagiotakos, former State Senator
* Jeffrey Roy, state representative
* Jon Santiago, state representative
* Chynah Tyler, state representative

#### Local politicians

* Kimberley Driscoll, mayor of Salem
* Ruthanne Fuller, mayor of Newton
* John Leahy, mayor of Lowell (Independent)
* Raymond Mariano, former mayor of Worcester
* Matt O'Malley, Boston City Councilor
* Yvonne Spicer, mayor of Framingham

#### Individuals

* Brent Budowsky, political opinion writer and columnist
* Jason Collins, former NBA player
* Dropkick Murphys, punk rock band
* Tiffani Faison, chef and LGBTQ advocate
* Dolores Huerta, labor leader and civil rights activist
* Victoria Kennedy, lawyer and widow of Ted Kennedy
* Martin Luther King III, human rights advocate and former President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (son of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King)
* Jim Obergefell, civil rights activist

#### Labor unions

* American Federation of Musicians Local 9-535
* International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers Local 7
* International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 103, 104, 1505, 223, 455, 326, 2325, 2321, 1499, 2222
* International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 25
* International Union of Operating Engineers Local 4
* Laborers' International Union of Massachusetts
* Massachusetts Building Trades Council
* Massachusetts State Council of Machinists
* Sheet Metal Workers' International Association Local 17
* United Food and Commercial Workers Local 791
* Utility Workers Union of America Local 369

#### Newspapers

* The Berkshire Eagle
* Irish Voice
* Springfield Republican
* The Sun

#### Executive officials

* Al Gore, 45th vice president of the United States (1993–2001), U.S. Senator from Tennessee (1985–1993)

#### U.S. senators

* Cory Booker, U.S. senator from New Jersey
* Catherine Cortez Masto, U.S. senator from Nevada
* Dick Durbin, U.S. senator from Illinois and Senate Minority Whip
* Joe Manchin, U.S. senator from West Virginia
* Chuck Schumer, U.S. senator from New York and Senate Minority Leader
* Jeanne Shaheen, U.S. senator from New Hampshire
* Elizabeth Warren, U.S. senator from Massachusetts and former 2020 presidential candidate

#### U.S. representatives

* Bill Keating, U.S. representative (MA-09)
* Ro Khanna, U.S. representative (CA-17)
* Stephen F. Lynch, U.S. representative (MA-08)
* Carolyn Maloney, U.S. representative (NY-12) and Chair of the House Oversight Committee
* Jim McGovern, U.S. representative (MA-02)
* Jerry Nadler, U.S. representative (NY-10) and Chair of the House Judiciary Committee
* Richard Neal, U.S. representative (MA-01)
* Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, U.S. representative (NY-14)
* Lori Trahan, U.S. representative (MA-03)

#### Statewide politicians

* Suzanne M. Bump, State Auditor and former State Representative and state Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development
* Michael Dukakis, 1988 Democratic Presidential Nominee, former governor of Massachusetts (1975–1979, 1983–1991)
* Steven Grossman, former Treasurer and Receiver-General of Massachusetts, former National Chair of the Democratic National Committee

#### State officials

* James Arciero, state representative
* Brian Ashe, state representative
* Bruce Ayers, state representative
* Ruth Balser, state representative
* Christine Barber, state representative
* John Barrett, state representative
* Michael J. Barrett, state senator
* Jennifer Benson, former state representative
* Natalie Blais, state representative
* Charles Booker, Kentucky state representative and former candidate in the Democratic Party's primary for the U.S. Senate
* Michael Brady, state senator
* Will Brownsberger, state senator
* Daniel Cahill, state representative
* Linda Dean Campbell, state representative
* Peter Capano, state representative
* Daniel R. Carey, state representative
* Gerard Cassidy, state representative
* Tackey Chan, state representative
* Sonia Chang-Díaz, state senator
* Michelle Ciccolo, state representative
* Jo Comerford, state senator
* Mike Connolly, state representative
* Cynthia Stone Creem, state senator
* Brendan Crighton, state senator
* Dan Cullinane, state representative
* Mark Cusack, state representative
* Josh S. Cutler, state representative
* Michael Day, state representative
* Marjorie Decker, state representative
* Bob DeLeo, Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
* Marcos Devers, state representative
* Sal DiDomenico, state senator
* Mindy Domb, state representative
* Dan Donahue, state representative
* Paul Donato, state representative
* William Driscoll, state representative
* Michelle DuBois, state representative
* Carolyn Dykema, state representative
* Lori Ehrlich, state representative
* James B. Eldridge, state senator
* Nika Elugardo, state representative
* Tricia Farley-Bouvier, state representative
* Dylan Fernandes, state representative
* Barry Finegold, state senator
* Carole Fiola, state representative
* Cindy Friedman, state senator
* William C. Galvin, state representative
* Sean Garballey, state representative
* Colleen Garry, state representative
* Carmine Gentile, state representative
* Anne Gobi, state senator
* Carlos Gonzalez, state representative
* Ken Gordon, state representative
* Tami Gouveia, state representative
* Danielle Gregoire, state representative
* Patricia Haddad, state representative
* Richard Haggerty, state representative
* Stephan Hay, state representative
* Jon Hecht, state representative
* Christopher Hendricks, state representative
* Natalie Higgins, state representative
* Russell Holmes, state representative
* Kevin Honan, state representative
* Daniel J. Hunt, state representative
* Patricia D. Jehlen, state senator
* Louis Kafka, state representative
* Mary Keefe, state representative
* John Kennan, state senator
* Ed Kennedy, state senator
* Kay Khan, state representative
* Kathleen LaNatra, state representative
* John J. Lawn, state representative
* David LeBoeuf, state representative
* Jack Patrick Lewis, state representative
* Jason Lewis, state senator
* David Linsky, state representative
* Jay Livingstone, state representative
* Joan Lovely, state senator
* Adrian Madaro, state representative
* John J. Mahoney, state representative
* Liz Malia, state representative
* Ronald Mariano, state representative, House Majority Leader
* Paul Mark, state representative
* Christopher Markey, state representative
* Joe McGonagle, state representative
* Joan Meschino, state representative
* Christina Minicucci, state representative
* Liz Miranda, state representative
* Rady Mom, state representative
* Michael O. Moore, state senator
* Frank A. Moran, state representative
* Michael Moran, state representative
* Susan Moran, state senator
* James M. Murphy, state representative
* Harold Naughton Jr., state representative
* Tram Nguyen, state representative
* Bill Owens, former state senator
* Marc Pacheco, state senator
* Jerry Parisella, state representative
* Sarah Peake, state representative
* Alice Peisch, state representative
* Thomas Petrolati, state representative
* Denise Provost, state representative
* Becca Rausch, state senator
* Dave Robertson, state representative
* Maria Robinson, state representative
* Michael Rodrigues, state senator
* Dave Rogers, state representative
* John H. Rogers, state representative
* Michael F. Rush, state senator
* Daniel Joseph Ryan, state representative
* Lindsay N. Sabadosa, state representative
* Paul Schmid, state representative
* Dan Sena, state representative
* Alan Silvia, state representative
* Theodore C. Speliotis, state representative
* Karen Spilka, President of the Massachusetts Senate
* Thomas Stanley, state representative
* Jose Tosado, state representative
* Paul Tucker, state representative
* Steven Ultrino, state representative
* Andy Vargas, state representative
* RoseLee Vincent, state representative
* Thomas Walsh, state representative
* James T. Welch, state senator
* Bud Williams, state representative
* Dan Wolf, former state senator and pilot
* Jonathan Zlotnik, state representative

#### Local officials

* Felix D. Arroyo, Suffolk County Register of Probate
* Kenzie Bok, Boston City Councilor
* Daniel E. Bosley, North Adams fmr. State Representative
* Liz Breadon, Boston City Councilor
* Paul A. Brodeur, mayor of Melrose, former State Representative
* Gary Christenson, mayor of Malden
* Carmen Yulín Cruz, mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico
* Joseph Curtatone, mayor of Somerville
* Stephen DiNatale, mayor of Fitchburg
* Lydia Edwards, Boston City Councilor
* Annissa Essaibi George, Boston City Councilor
* Paul Heroux, mayor of Attleboro
* Thomas P. Koch, mayor of Quincy
* Thomas M. McGee, mayor of Lynn
* Joseph Petty, mayor of Worcester
* Rachael Rollins, District Attorney of Suffolk County
* Marty Walsh, mayor of Boston

#### Individuals

* Ady Barkan, health activist
* Harry Belafonte, singer, songwriter, activist, and actor
* Jamaal Bowman, Democratic nominee for New York's 16th congressional district
* Doris Bunte, first Black woman elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives
* Ken Burns, filmmaker
* Michael Douglas, actor
* Jane Fonda, actor and political activist
* Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, marine biologist, policy expert, and conservation strategist
* Tom Joyce, Washington Examiner contributor (primary only)
* Carole King, singer
* Marlee Matlin, actress, author, and activist
* Sara Nelson, union leader
* Joshua Rush, actor
* David Sirota, journalist
* Gloria Steinem, journalist and activist
* Tom Steyer, hedge fund manager, liberal activist, former candidate for 2020 Democratic presidential nomination
* Zephyr Teachout, law professor at Fordham University
* Raphael Warnock, pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church and candidate for U. S. Senate in Georgia
* Sheldon Glashow, Sheldon Krimsky, Stuart Newman, Richard J. Roberts, Alan Robock, Frederick P. Salvucci, Elaine Scarry, Mriganka Sur, scientists and academics

#### Unions

* AFSCME Council 93
* American Federation of Government Employees
* American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts
* American Postal Workers Union Local 4553
* Association of Flight Attendants-CWA
* Communications Workers of America District 1
* Massachusetts Teachers Association
* SEIU 32BJ
* UNITE HERE Local 26
* United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1459

#### Organizations

* 350 Action
* Center for Biological Diversity
* Clean Water Action
* Climate Hawks Vote
* Council for a Livable World
* Daily Kos
* Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
* Democracy for America
* Environment America - Massachusetts
* Environment America - national
* Human Rights Campaign
* Indivisible
* Jewish Democratic Council of America
* Joint Action Committee for Political Affairs
* League of Conservation Voters
* Massachusetts Democratic Party
* Massachusetts Peace Action
* MoveOn
* NARAL Pro-Choice America
* National Association of Social Workers
* National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare
* NRDC Action Fund
* Our Revolution Massachusetts
* Peace Action
* Planned Parenthood
* Population Connection
* Progressive Change Campaign Committee
* Progressive Democrats of America
* Sierra Club
* Sunrise Movement
* Working Families Party

#### Newspapers

* The Boston Globe
* Daily Hampshire Gazette
* The Daily Item
* Gloucester Daily Times
* The Salem News

### Fundraising

Campaign finance reports as of August 12, 2020 :
| Candidate | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand |
| Ed Markey (D) | $11,083,613 | $10,402,461 | $3,535,316 |
| Joe Kennedy III (D) | $8,542,661 | $11,661,569 | $1,378,349 |
| Source: Federal Election Commission ||||

### Polling

Joe Kennedy III vs. Ed Markey :
| Source of poll aggregation | Dates administered | Date updated | Joe Kennedy III | Ed Markey | Undecided | Margin |
| RealClearPolitics | July 31 – August 27, 2020 | August 27, 2020 | 40.8% | 52.0% | 7.2% | Markey +11.2 |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Ed Markey | Maura Healey | Shannon Liss-Riordan | Joe Kennedy III | Seth Moulton | Steve Pemberton | Allen Waters | Other | Undecided |
| Emerson College/WHDH | August 25–27, 2020 | 453 (LV) | ± 4.6% | 56% | – | – | 44% | – | – | – | – | – |
| Data for Progress | August 24–25, 2020 | 731 (LV) | ± 4% | 50% | – | – | 43% | – | – | – | – | 7% |
| Suffolk University | August 23–25, 2020 | 500 (LV) | – | 51% | – | – | 41% | – | – | – | 0% | 8% |
| UMass Lowell | August 13–21, 2020 | 800 (LV) | ± 4.1% | 52% | – | – | 40% | – | – | – | 2% | 6% |
| SurveyUSA/Priorities for Progress | August 12–16, 2020 | 558 (LV) | ± 4.2% | 44% | – | – | 42% | – | – | – | – | 15% |
| UMassAmherst/WCVB | July 31 – August 7, 2020 | 362 (LV) | ± 7.0% | 51% | – | – | 36% | – | – | – | 1% | 12% |
| JMC Analytics and Polling | July 29–30, 2020 | 500 (LV) | ± 4.4% | 44% | – | – | 41% | – | – | – | – | 16% |
| Emerson College | May 5–6, 2020 | 620 (LV) | ± 3.9% | 42% | – | – | 58% | – | – | – | – | – |
| University of Massachusetts Lowell | April 27 – May 1, 2020 | 531 (LV) | ± 7.8% | 42% | – | – | 44% | – | – | – | 4% | 10% |
| Suffolk University/Boston Globe/WBZ | February 26–28, 2020 | 465 (LV) | ± 4.4% | 36% | – | – | 42% | – | – | – | 1% | 21% |
| UMass Amherst/WCVB | February 18–24, 2020 | 400 (LV) | ± 5.9% | 43% | – | – | 40% | – | – | – | 4% | 13% |
| UMass Lowell/YouGov | February 12–19, 2020 | 450 (LV) | ± 6.1% | 34% | – | – | 35% | – | – | – | – | 23% |
| | Jan 17, 2020 | Liss-Riordan withdraws from the race | Liss-Riordan withdraws from the race | Liss-Riordan withdraws from the race | Liss-Riordan withdraws from the race | Liss-Riordan withdraws from the race | Liss-Riordan withdraws from the race | Liss-Riordan withdraws from the race | Liss-Riordan withdraws from the race | Liss-Riordan withdraws from the race | Liss-Riordan withdraws from the race | Liss-Riordan withdraws from the race |
| | Dec 16, 2019 | Waters withdraws from the race | Waters withdraws from the race | Waters withdraws from the race | Waters withdraws from the race | Waters withdraws from the race | Waters withdraws from the race | Waters withdraws from the race | Waters withdraws from the race | Waters withdraws from the race | Waters withdraws from the race | Waters withdraws from the race |
| | Oct 14, 2019 | Pemberton withdraws from the race | Pemberton withdraws from the race | Pemberton withdraws from the race | Pemberton withdraws from the race | Pemberton withdraws from the race | Pemberton withdraws from the race | Pemberton withdraws from the race | Pemberton withdraws from the race | Pemberton withdraws from the race | Pemberton withdraws from the race | Pemberton withdraws from the race |
| | Sep 21, 2019 | Kennedy announces his candidacy | Kennedy announces his candidacy | Kennedy announces his candidacy | Kennedy announces his candidacy | Kennedy announces his candidacy | Kennedy announces his candidacy | Kennedy announces his candidacy | Kennedy announces his candidacy | Kennedy announces his candidacy | Kennedy announces his candidacy | Kennedy announces his candidacy |
| Suffolk University/Boston Globe | September 3–5, 2019 | 500 (LV) | ± 4.4% | 28% | – | – | 42% | – | – | – | – | 29% |
| Suffolk University/Boston Globe | September 3–5, 2019 | 500 (LV) | ± 4.4% | 26% | – | <1% | 35% | – | 1% | 0% | – | 36% |
| Change Research | August 23–25, 2019 | 808 (RV) | ± 3.5% | 25% | – | 5% | 42% | – | 7% | – | – | – |
| | Jul 23, 2019 | Pemberton announces his candidacy | Pemberton announces his candidacy | Pemberton announces his candidacy | Pemberton announces his candidacy | Pemberton announces his candidacy | Pemberton announces his candidacy | Pemberton announces his candidacy | Pemberton announces his candidacy | Pemberton announces his candidacy | Pemberton announces his candidacy | Pemberton announces his candidacy |
| Suffolk University | June 5–9, 2019 | 370 (LV) | ± 5.1% | 44% | – | 5% | – | – | 5% | – | – | 45% |
| | May 20, 2019 | Liss-Riordan announces her candidacy | Liss-Riordan announces her candidacy | Liss-Riordan announces her candidacy | Liss-Riordan announces her candidacy | Liss-Riordan announces her candidacy | Liss-Riordan announces her candidacy | Liss-Riordan announces her candidacy | Liss-Riordan announces her candidacy | Liss-Riordan announces her candidacy | Liss-Riordan announces her candidacy | Liss-Riordan announces her candidacy |
| | May 19, 2019 | Healey announces that she will not run | Healey announces that she will not run | Healey announces that she will not run | Healey announces that she will not run | Healey announces that she will not run | Healey announces that she will not run | Healey announces that she will not run | Healey announces that she will not run | Healey announces that she will not run | Healey announces that she will not run | Healey announces that she will not run |
| | Apr 1, 2019 | Waters announces his candidacy | Waters announces his candidacy | Waters announces his candidacy | Waters announces his candidacy | Waters announces his candidacy | Waters announces his candidacy | Waters announces his candidacy | Waters announces his candidacy | Waters announces his candidacy | Waters announces his candidacy | Waters announces his candidacy |
| | Dec 14, 2018 | Moulton announces that he will not run | Moulton announces that he will not run | Moulton announces that he will not run | Moulton announces that he will not run | Moulton announces that he will not run | Moulton announces that he will not run | Moulton announces that he will not run | Moulton announces that he will not run | Moulton announces that he will not run | Moulton announces that he will not run | Moulton announces that he will not run |
| YouGov/UMass Amherst | November 7–14, 2018 | 635 (RV) | – | 26% | 27% | – | – | – | – | – | – | 35% |
| YouGov/UMass Amherst | November 7–14, 2018 | 636 (RV) | – | 29% | – | – | – | 25% | – | – | – | 38% |
| | Oct 5, 2018 | Markey announces his candidacy | Markey announces his candidacy | Markey announces his candidacy | Markey announces his candidacy | Markey announces his candidacy | Markey announces his candidacy | Markey announces his candidacy | Markey announces his candidacy | Markey announces his candidacy | Markey announces his candidacy | Markey announces his candidacy |
| Suffolk University | September 13–17, 2018 | 433 (LV) | – | 24% | – | – | – | 18% | – | – | – | 45% |

### Debates

2020 United States Senate election in Massachusetts democratic primary debate :
| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Democratic | Democratic |
| Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | | |
| Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Ed Markey | Joe Kennedy III |
| 1 | February 18, 2020 | WGBH-TV | Jim Braude Margery Eagan | | P | P |
| 2 | February 18, 2020 | WBTS-CD | Latoyia Edwards | | P | P |
| 3 | August 11, 2020 | WBZ-TV | Jon Keller | | P | P |

### Results

Markey defeated his challenger, Joe Kennedy III. Markey won by running up big margins in Boston and its suburbs, and did well in western Massachusetts, especially in college towns. Kennedy did well in the Cape Cod region, and won many Southern municipalities, especially his native 4th district. Despite Kennedy's strength in Southern Massachusetts, Markey defeated Kennedy in portions of the 4th district near Boston, carrying Kennedy's hometown of Newton by 28.2% and neighboring Brookline by 39%. Markey's margin of victory of 10.8% was attributed to his unexpected strength among progressives and younger voters. Kennedy's loss marked the first time a member of the Kennedy family had lost an election in Massachusetts.
Democratic primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Ed Markey (incumbent) | 782,694 | 55.35% |
| | Democratic | Joe Kennedy III | 629,359 | 44.51% |
| | Democratic | Write-ins | 1,935 | 0.14% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 1,413,988 | 100.00% |

## Republican primary

The state primary election took place on September 1, 2020.

### Candidates
#### Nominee

* Kevin O'Connor, attorney

#### Eliminated in primary

* Shiva Ayyadurai, entrepreneur, conspiracy theorist, and independent candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2018 (ran as an Independent (write-in) in the general election)

#### Declined

* Charlie Baker, governor of Massachusetts (endorsed O'Connor)

### Results

Republican primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Kevin O'Connor | 158,590 | 59.71% |
| | Republican | Shiva Ayyadurai | 104,782 | 39.45% |
| | Republican | Write-ins | 2,245 | 0.84% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 265,617 | 100.00% |

## Other candidates
### Libertarian Party
#### Failed to qualify

* Vermin Supreme, performance artist and political satirist; member of the Libertarian Party Judiciary Committee; former 2020 Libertarian presidential candidate (as a write-in candidate)

#### Results

Libertarian primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Libertarian | Other Write-ins | 3,390 | 99.21% |
| | Libertarian | Vermin Supreme (write-in) | 27 | 0.79% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 3,417 | 100.00% |

### Green Party
#### Withdrawn

* Andre "Maha Visnu" Gray, co-chair of the Massachusetts Green-Rainbow Party, teacher, and businessman

### Independents
#### Write-in candidate

* Shiva Ayyadurai (switched to this candidacy after losing Republican primary)

#### Withdrawn

* Frederick Mayock, independent candidate for Massachusetts' 1st congressional district in 2020

## General election

The general election took place on November 3, 2020.

### Debate

2020 United States Senate election in Massachusetts debate :
| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Democratic | Republican |
| Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | | |
| Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Ed Markey | Kevin O'Conner |
| 1 | October 5, 2020 | WGBH-TV | Jim Braude Margery Eagan | | P | P |

### Predictions

| Source | Ranking | As of |
| The Cook Political Report | Safe D | October 29, 2020 |
| Inside Elections | Safe D | October 28, 2020 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball | Safe D | November 2, 2020 |
| Daily Kos | Safe D | October 30, 2020 |
| Politico | Safe D | November 2, 2020 |
| RCP | Safe D | October 23, 2020 |
| DDHQ | Safe D | November 3, 2020 |
| 538 | Safe D | November 2, 2020 |
| Economist | Safe D | November 2, 2020 |

### Endorsements
#### U.S. representatives

* Joe Kennedy III, U.S. representative (MA-04) (2013–2021)

#### Local officials

* Brian Arrigo, mayor of Revere
* Ricardo Arroyo, Boston City Councilor
* Tom Bernard, mayor of North Adams
* James Fiorentini, mayor of Haverhill
* Scott Galvin, mayor of Woburn
* Donna Holaday, mayor of Newburyport
* Nicole LaChapelle, mayor of Easthampton
* Breanna Lungo-Koehn, mayor of Medford
* David Narkewicz, mayor of Northampton
* Dan Rivera, mayor of Lawrence
* William Sapelli, mayor of Agawam
* Robert Sullivan, mayor of Brockton
* Linda Tyer, mayor of Pittsfield
* John Vieau, mayor of Chicopee
* Roxann Wedegartner, mayor of Greenfield

#### Individuals

* Anne Cellucci Adams, daughter of former governor Paul Cellucci
* Steve Pemberton, chief human resources officer of Workhuman and former candidate for U.S. Senate

#### Unions

* SEIU 888

#### Organizations

* Coalition for Social Justice
* Demand Universal Healthcare
* Everytown for Gun Safety
* Foreign Policy for America
* Future Generations
* Humane Society of the United States Legislative Fund
* Make Room
* Progressive Massachusetts
* Shutesbury Democratic Town Committee

#### Newspapers

* Chelsea Record
* Dorchester Reporter
* Everett Leader Herald
* The Rainbow Times

#### Statewide politicians

* Charlie Baker, 72nd governor of Massachusetts (2015–2023)

### Polling

| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Ed Markey (D) | Kevin O'Connor (R) | Other | Undecided |
| MassInc | October 23–30, 2020 | 929 (LV) | – | 60% | 29% | 6% | 5% |
| YouGov/UMass Amherst | October 14–21, 2020 | 713 (LV) | – | 65% | 26% | 2% | 7% |
| Remington Research (R) | September 16–17, 2020 | 907 (LV) | ± 3.3% | 50% | 40% | – | 10% |
with Charlie Baker
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Ed Markey (D) | Charlie Baker (R) | Undecided |
| Change Research | August 23–25, 2019 | 1,008 (RV) | ± 3.1% | 44% | 45% | – |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Shannon Liss-Riordan (D) | Charlie Baker (R) | Undecided |
| Change Research | August 23–25, 2019 | 1,008 (RV) | ± 3.1% | 35% | 54% | – |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Joe Kennedy III (D) | Charlie Baker (R) | Undecided |
| Change Research | August 23–25, 2019 | 1,008 (RV) | ± 3.1% | 49% | 41% | – |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Steve Pemberton (D) | Charlie Baker (R) | Undecided |
| Change Research | August 23–25, 2019 | 1,008 (RV) | ± 3.1% | 31% | 56% | – |

### Results

United States Senate election in Massachusetts, 2020 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Democratic | Ed Markey (incumbent) | 2,357,809 | 66.15% | +4.28% |
| | Republican | Kevin O'Connor | 1,177,765 | 33.05% | −4.93% |
| | Independent | Shiva Ayyadurai (write-in) | 21,134 | 0.59% | N/A |
| | Write-in | Write-in | 7,428 | 0.21% | +0.06% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 3,564,136 | 100.0% | |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

#### By county

Markey won all 14 of Massachusetts' counties for the second election in a row.
By county :
| County | Ed Markey Democratic | Ed Markey Democratic | Kevin O'Connor Republican | Kevin O'Connor Republican | Shiva Ayyadurai Independent | Shiva Ayyadurai Independent | Write-in | Write-in | Margin | Margin | Total votes |
| County | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | Total votes |
| Barnstable | 89,977 | 60.50 | 57,965 | 38.97 | 656 | 0.44 | 134 | 0.09 | 32,012 | 21.52 | 148,732 |
| Berkshire | 51,261 | 73.74 | 17,697 | 25.46 | 488 | 0.70 | 66 | 0.09 | 33,564 | 48.28 | 69,512 |
| Bristol | 155,927 | 57.35 | 113,750 | 41.84 | 1,418 | 0.52 | 801 | 0.29 | 42,177 | 15.51 | 271,896 |
| Dukes | 9,767 | 77.32 | 2,799 | 22.16 | 60 | 0.47 | 6 | 0.05 | 6,968 | 55.16 | 12,632 |
| Essex | 267,678 | 64.58 | 143,447 | 34.61 | 2,451 | 0.59 | 909 | 0.22 | 124,231 | 29.97 | 414,485 |
| Franklin | 29,900 | 71.49 | 11,241 | 26.88 | 570 | 1.36 | 114 | 0.27 | 18,659 | 44.61 | 41,825 |
| Hampden | 123,867 | 58.30 | 85,790 | 40.38 | 2,205 | 1.04 | 600 | 0.28 | 38,077 | 17.92 | 212,462 |
| Hampshire | 63,151 | 72.94 | 22,577 | 26.08 | 697 | 0.80 | 155 | 0.18 | 40,574 | 46.86 | 86,580 |
| Middlesex | 611,485 | 71.97 | 232,739 | 27.39 | 3,916 | 0.46 | 1,437 | 0.17 | 378,746 | 44.58 | 849,577 |
| Nantucket | 5,132 | 71.34 | 2,034 | 28.27 | 0 | 0.00 | 28 | 0.39 | 3,098 | 43.06 | 7,194 |
| Norfolk | 265,210 | 66.19 | 133,047 | 33.21 | 1,386 | 0.35 | 1,028 | 0.26 | 132,163 | 32.98 | 400,671 |
| Plymouth | 170,532 | 57.47 | 124,084 | 41.82 | 1,684 | 0.57 | 425 | 0.14 | 46,448 | 15.65 | 296,725 |
| Suffolk | 266,117 | 81.47 | 58,982 | 18.06 | 612 | 0.19 | 949 | 0.29 | 207,135 | 63.41 | 326,660 |
| Worcester | 247,805 | 58.28 | 171,613 | 40.36 | 4,991 | 1.17 | 776 | 0.18 | 76,192 | 17.92 | 425,185 |
| Totals | 2,357,809 | 66.15 | 1,177,765 | 33.04 | 21,134 | 0.59 | 7,428 | 0.21 | 1,180,044 | 33.11 | 3,564,136 |

#### By congressional district

Markey won all nine congressional districts.
| District | Markey | O'Connor | Representative |
| 1st | 37% | 62% | Richard Neal |
| 2nd | 36% | 62% | Jim McGovern |
| 3rd | 35% | 64% | Lori Trahan |
| 4th | 36% | 64% | Joe Kennedy III |
| 4th | 36% | 64% | Jake Auchincloss |
| 5th | 25% | 75% | Katherine Clark |
| 6th | 36% | 63% | Seth Moulton |
| 7th | 13% | 86% | Ayanna Pressley |
| 8th | 34% | 66% | Stephen Lynch |
| 9th | 41% | 58% | Bill Keating |