William F. Gates Jr. is a retired architect and professor running for the Democratic primary. Limited information is available about his background, policy positions, and campaign strategy in current sources.

Alexander Rikleen is a 38-year-old Massachusetts native and first-time political candidate who grew up in Wayland before earning a degree in secondary education and history from Boston College. He has spent years working as a history teacher, professor at Framingham State University, and as a fantasy sports writer and analyst for RotoWire. Currently, he lives in Acton with his wife and manages the PTO at his children's preschool. Rikleen has long been interested in politics, having volunteered for campaigns and served as a delegate to the Massachusetts State Convention, but had not planned to run for office until he watched the February 2026 Senate hearings on Kash Patel's nomination as FBI Director. He cited those hearings as his 'last straw' - the moment he decided to challenge incumbent Senator Markey, arguing that Democrats need more aggressive resistance to the Trump administration. Rikleen frames his candidacy as representing 'establishment vs. outsider' positioning, criticizing Democratic leaders including Markey for playing it safe and not fighting hard enough against Trump.

John Deaton is a 58-year-old Republican attorney, cryptocurrency advocate, and U.S. Marine Corps veteran. He was born in Detroit and grew up relying on food stamps and public assistance before moving to Massachusetts in 1992 to attend New England Law Boston. He earned his J.D. from New England School of Law in 1995 and served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1995 to 2002 with military service experience. Deaton had a Rhode Island law firm specializing in asbestos cases before relocating to Swansea, Massachusetts ahead of the 2024 election, where he sold his Rhode Island home. He is known as a prominent pro-XRP cryptocurrency advocate and attorney who represented XRP investors in high-profile litigation against the SEC. In the 2024 U.S. Senate race, Deaton lost to Senator Elizabeth Warren by nearly 20 percentage points but received 40% of the vote and carried his home county of Bristol, outperforming Warren's previous challenger by 4 points. He is also a bestselling author. In November 2025, Deaton announced his second Senate campaign, this time challenging incumbent Democrat Ed Markey, positioning himself as an 'independent voice' focused on government accountability and economic fairness for working families.

Seth Wilbur Moulton was born on October 24, 1978, in Salem, Massachusetts, to Lynn Alice Meader and Wilbur Thomas Moulton Jr., a real-estate attorney. He grew up in Marblehead and graduated from Phillips Academy in 1997. He earned a bachelor's degree in physics from Harvard College in 2001, then served as a Captain in the U.S. Marine Corps, completing four tours in Iraq as a combat infantry officer, where he was twice decorated for heroism. After his military service, Moulton earned master's degrees in business administration and public policy from Harvard in a dual program. He was first elected to Congress in 2014, representing Massachusetts's 6th congressional district since 2015, which includes much of Boston's northern suburbs such as Andover, Marblehead, Peabody, and Salem. He ran briefly for president in 2019 before withdrawing after failing to qualify for debates. At age 47, Moulton presents himself as a generational alternative to the 79-year-old incumbent Markey, emphasizing his military service, combat experience, and centrist-moderate Democratic positioning. Moulton is known as a provocative and outspoken member of Congress who challenges Democratic Party establishment, having led an unsuccessful 2018 effort to remove Nancy Pelosi as House Speaker and calling for generational leadership. He sits on the Armed Services Committee and Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Since launching his 2026 Senate campaign in October 2025, he has emphasized generational change, affordability, healthcare, national security, and Democratic Party reform.

Ed Markey was born on July 11, 1946, in Malden, Massachusetts, the son of Irish Catholic working-class parents. He earned his bachelor's degree and J.D. from Boston College in 1968 and 1972 respectively, and served in the U.S. Army Reserve from 1968 to 1973. Markey served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1973 to 1976, then represented Massachusetts's 7th congressional district in the U.S. House for 37 years (1976-2013), making him the longest-tenured House member ever elected to the Senate. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in a 2013 special election following John Kerry's appointment as Secretary of State, defeating Stephen Lynch in the Democratic primary and Gabriel Gomez in the general election. He was elected to a full term in 2014 and re-elected in 2020 with 66.2% of the vote, making him one of the most successful Democratic politicians in Massachusetts history. Markey is widely recognized as a leading progressive voice in the Senate. He is the Senate author of the Green New Deal and has focused his legislative agenda on climate change, environmental protection, consumer protection (particularly net neutrality), healthcare access, LGBTQ+ equality, and working family issues. He chairs or sits on committees focused on commerce, science and transportation; environment and public works; and foreign relations. In 2025, he received a score of 100 from the Humane World Action Fund for his support of animal protection issues.

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