Massachusetts State House on Beacon Hill, seat of offices on the 2026 Massachusetts midterm ballot

Beyond Governor: Massachusetts Senate, House and Ballot Questions on Nov. 3

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Massachusetts State House on Beacon Hill, seat of the offices on the 2026 Massachusetts midterm ballot
The Massachusetts State House on Beacon Hill. Photo: Ajay Suresh / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.

Published Oct. 16, 2026. Candidate names follow the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s 2026 State Election list. Check your own sample ballot before you vote.

The Massachusetts midterm ballot on Nov. 3, 2026, includes far more than the governor’s race. Every voter in the state will pick a U.S. senator, an attorney general, a secretary of the commonwealth, a treasurer and an auditor. Voters will also choose a member of the U.S. House and decide nine binding statewide ballot questions, the most voters in the state have ever been asked to consider, according to the Secretary of the Commonwealth. This guide covers those statewide races and questions. Our governor debates report covers the race for governor.

U.S. Senate: Markey, Deaton, Ayyadurai and Tache

Four candidates are on the statewide ballot: Sen. Ed Markey (Democratic, incumbent), John Deaton (Republican), Shiva Ayyadurai (Independent) and Joe Tache (Socialism and Liberation). Markey won the Sept. 1 Democratic primary over Rep. Seth Moulton. Deaton is making his second Senate run after losing to Sen. Elizabeth Warren in 2024, WBUR reported. The Cook Political Report rates the seat Solid Democrat.

Markey and Deaton met in their only scheduled debate on Oct. 13, hosted by WBZ-TV and moderated by Jon Keller. Ayyadurai and Tache did not take part.

  • Markey opened: “I’m going to Washington to be a check on Donald Trump. Mr. Deaton is going to Washington to be a blank check for Donald Trump.”
  • Deaton replied: “You know I’ve never voted for President Trump. I’ve never supported President Trump. I’ve never endorsed President Trump.”
  • On health care, Deaton asked about Medicare for All: “Why didn’t you do it in the 53 years you’ve been in elected office?” Markey said, “You can’t trust the Republicans with the healthcare system of our country.”
  • On energy, Markey defended the Green New Deal as a way to “break our dependence upon that fossil fuel monopoly.” Deaton said, “I have a plan that puts four small modular reactors and expands natural gas in Massachusetts that will cut the energy in half.”

Constitutional offices

The state’s candidate list shows these races for the four other statewide offices:

  • Attorney general: Andrea Joy Campbell (Democratic, incumbent) and Michael C. Walsh (Republican)
  • Secretary of the Commonwealth: William Francis Galvin (Democratic, incumbent) and Anne R. Brensley (Republican)
  • Treasurer: Deborah B. Goldberg (Democratic, incumbent) and Elizabeth Dionne (Republican)
  • Auditor: Diana DiZoglio (Democratic, incumbent) and Al Ozonoff (Libertarian)

The auditor’s office featured in the governor’s debates because of DiZoglio’s effort to audit the Legislature. Both Healey and Minogue said in the Oct. 8 debate that they support that audit.

U.S. House: the open 6th District

All nine Massachusetts House seats are held by Democrats, and Cook rates all nine Solid Democrat. The only open seat is the North Shore’s 6th District, which Moulton left to run for Senate. Dan Koh, a former White House aide and former chief of staff to Boston Mayor and U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, won the Sept. 1 Democratic primary with 42.2% of the vote in a six-candidate field, according to Ballotpedia’s tally. Republican Micah Jones, an Essex attorney and U.S. Army veteran, was unopposed in his party’s primary, WBUR reported. The district has been represented by a Salem resident since 1997, WBUR noted. Whoever wins, that streak ends, since neither nominee lives in Salem.

The other eight incumbents (Richard Neal, Jim McGovern, Lori Trahan, Jake Auchincloss, Katherine Clark, Ayanna Pressley, Stephen Lynch and Bill Keating) are seeking re-election. Which of them appears on your ballot depends on where you live. For how these seats fit the national picture, see our House and Senate battleground ratings and the Congress Tracker.

The nine statewide ballot questions

Questions 1 through 8 are proposed laws that reached the ballot by initiative petition. Question 9 is a referendum on an existing law. A “yes” vote keeps that law, and a “no” vote repeals it. The summaries below follow the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Information for Voters guide, which was mailed to every household in mid-September.

  • Question 1, public records: Would extend the public records law to the Legislature and the governor’s office, with some exemptions.
  • Question 2, CPCS bargaining: Would allow employees of the Committee for Public Counsel Services, the state’s public defender agency, to bargain collectively.
  • Question 3, state primaries: Would create a single all-party primary for state offices. We cover it in detail in Question 3: Wu, Baker split on all-party primaries.
  • Question 4, Election Day registration: Would let eligible voters register at the polls on Election Day.
  • Question 5, revenue limit and rebate: Would cap growth in state revenue and return any excess to taxpayers.
  • Question 6, conservation fund: Would dedicate certain sales tax revenue to a natural resource conservation fund, subject to appropriation. See Boston City Council Backs Question 6.
  • Question 7, single-family homes: Would allow single-family homes on qualifying residential lots, subject to reasonable local regulation. Both major-party candidates for governor said in their Oct. 8 debate that they support it.
  • Question 8, recreational marijuana: Would prohibit retail sale of adult-use marijuana, while medical marijuana would continue. See Mayor Wu opposes Question 8.
  • Question 9, firearms: A referendum on the state’s 2024 firearms law. A “yes” vote keeps the law in place, and a “no” vote repeals it.

For each question, the official guide includes the Attorney General’s summary, a statement of fiscal consequences, and arguments written by supporters and opponents. Voters can read the full text at the Secretary’s website.

Key dates

In-person early voting runs Saturday, Oct. 17, through Friday, Oct. 30. The registration deadline is Saturday, Oct. 24. Mail-ballot applications must be received by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 27. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Rules can vary slightly by city or town, so check with your local election office. For federal actions shaping the campaign, see the Presidency Tracker. For the national calendar, see our 2026 midterm elections guide.

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