Markey gets backing from Michlewitz, other top Boston lawmakers

As rumors ricochet with names of possible challengers, U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, who has spent decades in Washington, is gearing up for another campaign and making the calls for support.

More than a year out from voters going to the 2026 polls, he’s getting it. Markey has now locked down most of Boston’s delegation inside the State House, including the North End’s Aaron Michlewitz, the House chairman of the budget-writing Ways and Means Committee, and East Boston Sen. Lydia Edwards, who co-chairs the Judiciary Committee.

In separate statements, Michlewitz said Markey “knows the issues Massachusetts is confronting right now, and he is fighting for our neighborhoods in the U.S. Senate every day,” while Edwards said “from housing to climate to reproductive rights, he leads with integrity and urgency.”

Other Boston lawmakers backing Markey include House Majority Leader Michael Moran of Brighton, Sens. Michael Rush of West Roxbury and Nick Collins of South Boston, and representatives hailing from Hyde Park, Allston, Dorchester, Back Bay, West Roxbury, East Boston, Jamaica Plain, South End, Charlestown and Roxbury.

That’s not everybody in the Boston delegation, but it’s close, totaling out 16 of 22 members. Additional ones are likely in the works.

Such endorsements are often viewed as routine, particularly for an incumbent like Markey, a former State House lawmaker from Malden who served in the U.S. House for 37 years before winning a special Senate election to replace John Kerry in 2013. 

But Markey has been rolling out support amid chatter that he may face a Democratic primary challenge. (While Rep. Ayanna Pressley‘s name has circulated, political insiders who see a Senate run in her future view it as highly unlikely she would mount a 2026 campaign against Markey.)

Rep. Jake Auchincloss’s name has come up more often in conversation, and Markey’s campaign sent out a news release weeks earlier with the subject line referencing parts of Auchincloss’s Congressional district: “From Newton to Fall River, 28 Local, Regional, and State Leaders Endorse Ed Markey for Reelection.”

Markey has also found a campaign manager in Cam Charbonnier, who has worked for Joe Biden, Marty Walsh, Suffolk DA Kevin Hayden, as well as Sen. Edwards.

Markey was as effusive in his statement as Michlewitz and Edwards were in theirs. “Boston’s families are represented by the brightest, hardest-working, most effective leaders in the country, and my job is to fight for their vision and values in the U.S. Senate,” he said. “I’m honored to have their endorsement for re-election.”

Will there be a spirited 2026 Massachusetts Democratic primary for US Senate? Drop me a line and tell me whether you think that will materialize: [email protected].

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10:30 | Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll attends the High School Summer Career Academy in AI, in partnership with the Massachusetts AI Hub and Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, to see the work of the students and provide remarks about the importance of the program | Microsoft New England, 5 Wayside Road, Burlington

12:30 | Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina is the featured speaker at the latest "Politics and Eggs" forum hosted by the New England Council and the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College. | 100 Saint Anselm Dr., Manchester, New Hampshire

KELLER AT LARGE: Sunday, 8:30 a.m., WBZ-TV. Political analyst Jon Keller sits down with yours truly and Kelly Garrity, author of Politico’s Massachusetts Playbook. They discuss the Wu-Kraft race, Donald Trump’s impact on local politics, Gov. Maura Healey’s raises for Cabinet members and the drinking culture at the State House.

NBC10 BOSTON: Sunday, 9:30 a.m., NBC 10. Reporter Matt Prichard interviews Rep. Seth Moulton, a Salem Democrat.

ON THE RECORD: Sunday, 11 a.m., WCVB. The guest is Rep. Katherine Clark, the Revere Democrat who serves as the Democratic whip, the second most senior position in the caucus.

SHNS sits down with Professional Firefighters of Massachusetts President Richard MacKinnon Jr. to discuss the union’s legislative priorities, fire department regionalization, the Gabriel House fire in Fall River, and more. – State House News Service

TAXPAYER-FUNDED TRIPS: The taxpayer-funded credit card of Attorney General Andrea Campbell catalogued a variety of trips, from a conference in France to a holiday party in the Caribbean. – Boston Herald

MOUNTING PRESSURE: A Suffolk law professor likens the work stoppage by bar advocates, and how the Legislature is handling it, as a “game of chicken.” – Boston Globe

STATE HOUSE VANDALISM: An anti-Zionist group is taking credit for vandalizing the State House gate, according to ADL New England. The FBI is investigating, but declined comment. – State House News Service

SKIPPED SCHOOLS: Four Massachusetts elite liberal arts schools – Amherst, Smith, Wellesley and Williams Colleges – escaped a federal endowment tax thanks to a conservative college in the Midwest. – MassLive

METHUEN TAKES SIDES: DJ Beauregard, the first-term mayor of Methuen, says he backs Market Basket CEO Arthur T. Demoulas, who is fighting with his board. Methuen is served by two stores owned by the popular grocery chain. – Boston Business Journal

ROBOT REGS: Boston officials voiced skepticism about Waymo, the Google-owned autonomous vehicle company, as they and state officials are eyeing regulations. – Universal Hub

JAPAN JUNKET: In Plymouth, a planned $30,000 trip to Japan by students and town “VIPs” is drawing criticism. – Plymouth Independent

LATE DISCLOSURE: A member of Brookline’s Town Meeting quietly admitted to putting out a “mysterious” election mailer that backed candidates by a civic association. – Brookline.News

MEDICAID CHANGES: Leaders in Gateway Cities, which have a concentration of immigrants and low-income residents, are bracing for changes to Medicaid that are expected to throw people off the rolls. – CommonWealth Beacon

ICE CAUSING DROP IN ATTENDANCE: Chelsea schools see a drop in attendance whenever there is immigration enforcement activity reported or rumored to be happening close by. – WBUR

WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS: Northampton has been slow to fix a downtown sidewalk that was closed due to “immediate risk of collapse.” – Daily Hampshire Gazette

GOVERNMENT OPS AUDIT: West Stockbridge officials hired UMass Amherst to audit its government operations for effectiveness. – Berkshire Edge

RED TAPE: Worcester is looking to make it easier to hold an event after an arts festival shut down, citing bureaucratic hoops and high costs. – Worcester Guardian

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