Federal race · November 3, 2026

U.S. Senate

U.S. senators vote on federal legislation, confirm presidential nominees including federal judges and Cabinet members, and approve treaties.

6-year term. Regular election for the Class 2 seat held by Democratic Sen. Ed Markey, for the six-year term beginning January 2027. In the Sept. 1, 2026 primaries, Markey won the Democratic nomination over U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton and John Deaton was unopposed for the Republican nomination. Four candidates are printed on the ballot: Edward J. Markey (Democratic), John Deaton (Republican), Shiva Ayyadurai (Independent) and Joe Tache (Socialism and Liberation).

The candidates

Listed alphabetically by last name.

  • Shiva Ayyadurai

    Engineer and entrepreneur
    Independent

    Ayyadurai is an MIT-trained engineer and entrepreneur running as an independent. He ran for this office before, as an independent in 2018 and in the 2020 Republican primary. His campaign calls for term limits, election changes such as paper ballots and hand counts, tax cuts for families and small businesses, and an end to foreign wars and aid.

  • John Deaton

    Attorney, Deaton Law Firm
    Republican

    Deaton is a Republican trial attorney and Marine Corps veteran who was the party's 2024 nominee against Sen. Elizabeth Warren. He was unopposed in the Sept. 1 Republican primary. His campaign, branded "People Over Politics," centers on congressional term limits and ethics rules, health care costs, an all-of-the-above energy approach, and what he describes as independence from both parties.

  • Ed Markey

    U.S. Senator from Massachusetts (since 2013)
    DemocraticIncumbent

    Markey is a Democrat who has represented Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate since 2013, after 37 years in the U.S. House. He is seeking a third full term after defeating U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton in the Sept. 1 primary. His campaign centers on lowering costs for working families, clean energy and climate legislation, opposing health care cuts, and opposition to Trump administration policies.

  • Joe Tache

    Community organizer and youth worker
    Socialism and Liberation

    Tache is a Boston organizer and member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, listed on the ballot under the designation "Socialism and Liberation." His campaign calls for public ownership of the largest corporations, free health care, a cap on rent, and moving military spending to social needs.

Compare on the issues

Summaries of each candidate's stated positions. See each profile for sources and details.

Candidate positions by issue for U.S. Senate
IssueShiva Ayyadurai
Independent
John Deaton
Republican
Ed Markey
Democratic
Joe Tache
Socialism and Liberation
Health Care

Calls for shifting from "sick-care" to preventive and integrative medicine and nutrition, and refers to protecting "medical freedom."

Would break up vertically integrated insurers and pharmacy benefit managers, and supports lower drug costs, expanded telehealth and upfront price disclosure.

Supports a single-payer federal health insurance program (Medicare for All) and opposes Medicaid cuts.

Supports guaranteed free health care.

Elections & Democracy

Supports paper ballots, hand counting, same-day voting, voter ID, and term limits and an insider trading ban for members of Congress.

Proposes a "Clean Hands Act" with constitutional term limits (three House terms, two Senate terms), a ban on stock and crypto trading by members of Congress, a lifetime lobbying ban, and no pay for Congress without a budget. Supports free voter ID.

Sponsored a 2021 bill to expand the U.S. Supreme Court from nine to 13 justices.

No public position found yet
Energy & EnvironmentNo public position found yet

Opposes the Green New Deal and backs an "all-of-the-above" approach including solar, wind, hydro, geothermal and small modular nuclear reactors.

Is the Senate author of the Green New Deal resolution and supports investing in clean energy, transit and climate resilience.

Supports large-scale climate programs under what he describes as working-class control.

ImmigrationNo public position found yet

Would end catch-and-release and reform asylum while expanding legal immigration; supports a path to legal status for qualifying Dreamers and rejects both blanket amnesty and mass deportation.

Introduced the ICE Out of Our Faces Act, co-introduced a bill to end legal immunity for federal officials including law enforcement officers, and has called for abolishing ICE and said there should be "no blank check" for the Department of Homeland Security.

Opposes deportations and campaigns under the slogan "Defend Immigrant Families, End Deportations!"

AbortionNo public position found yet

Supports writing Roe v. Wade into federal law, disagrees with the Dobbs decision, and says he would switch parties to vote against a federal abortion ban.

Supports abortion rights and has opposed restrictions on abortion since the 1980s, after opposing abortion early in his House career.

No public position found yet
Economy & JobsNo public position found yetNo public position found yet

Opposes the administration's tariffs and cuts to SNAP food assistance.

Would take the 100 largest corporations into public ownership and guarantee jobs with a living wage, including millions of union jobs.

Foreign Policy

Calls for "no more trillion-dollar wars abroad," bringing troops home, ending taxpayer aid to Israel and other countries, and limiting foreign lobbies' influence on Congress.

No public position found yetNo public position found yet

Would redirect military funding to social needs and supports Palestinian self-determination and an end to U.S. support for Israel's war in Gaza.

Technology

Proposes a "Digital Bill of Rights" against online censorship and manipulation.

Calls for a national AI standard with consumer protections, including a requirement that AI identify itself and a ban on AI using a real person's face or voice without consent.

No public position found yetNo public position found yet
Agriculture

Would ban harmful substances in food and agriculture and enforce honest food labeling.

No public position found yetNo public position found yetNo public position found yet
GunsNo public position found yetNo public position found yet

Supports stronger gun laws, including expanded background checks and measures against illegal gun trafficking.

No public position found yet
HousingNo public position found yetNo public position found yetNo public position found yet

Would cap rent at 10% of household income.

Social Security & MedicareNo public position found yet

Says Social Security benefits should not be taxed; proposes raising or eliminating the cap on taxable earnings and gradually raising the retirement age for future workers only.

No public position found yetNo public position found yet
Taxes

Would cut taxes for families and small businesses and calls for ending what he calls the Federal Reserve's "inflation robbery."

No public position found yetNo public position found yetNo public position found yet

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