Massachusetts: who should earn your vote for Congress in 2026

Opinion · The paper’s scorecard

Massachusetts: every race for Congress on the 3 November 2026 ballot, and how the candidates measure up against our standards.

Sitting and former members are scored on the same key votes, read from the official House and Senate roll calls; each vote links to the record. Candidates who have never served in Congress have no votes to score, and outside the battlegrounds we have not researched them, so they are marked as not scored. Where only one candidate could be measured, the mark rates that record on its own; it is not a verdict on the opponent. How the marks work · All states

U.S. Senate D+14

No mark

John Deaton

Republican

No congressional voting record; not scored

Ed Markey

Democrat · incumbent

Scored on 24 key votes · total -3

✗Smaller government
✗Small business over giants
✓Live and let live
✗Light touch on tech
✗Free speech
✓No surveillance state
✓Home first, open trade
~Checks on power
✗Right to bear arms
✗Hard on violent crime

With us (13)

Voted against the June 2026 bill adding about $70 billion for immigration enforcement. Source
Voted for the Respect for Marriage Act. Source
Voted for the amendment requiring a warrant to search Americans' communications under FISA Section 702. Source

Against us (11)

Voted against the 2025 package cancelling about $9 billion in approved spending. Source
Voted for the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. Source
Voted for the Inflation Reduction Act. Source

District 1 D+8

No mark

Nadia Milleron

Independent

No congressional voting record; not scored

Richard Neal

Democrat · incumbent

Scored on 27 key votes · total -3

✗Smaller government
~Small business over giants
✓Live and let live
✗Light touch on tech
~Free speech
✗No surveillance state
✓Home first, open trade
~Checks on power
✗Right to bear arms
✗Hard on violent crime

With us (9)

Voted for the 2022 antitrust package funding merger enforcement with fees on the largest deals. Source
Voted for the Respect for Marriage Act. Source
Voted against the 2024 law forcing TikTok's sale or ban. Source

Against us (18)

Voted against the Limit, Save, Grow Act tying the 2023 debt-limit increase to spending cuts. Source
Voted against the 2025 package cancelling about $9 billion in approved spending. Source
Voted against a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution. Source

District 2 D+13

No mark

Jim McGovern

Democrat · incumbent

Scored on 27 key votes · total +0

✗Smaller government
~Small business over giants
✓Live and let live
✗Light touch on tech
✓Free speech
✓No surveillance state
✓Home first, open trade
~Checks on power
✗Right to bear arms
✗Hard on violent crime

With us (13)

Voted for the 2022 antitrust package funding merger enforcement with fees on the largest deals. Source
Voted for the Respect for Marriage Act. Source
Voted against the 2024 law forcing TikTok's sale or ban. Source

Against us (14)

Voted against the Limit, Save, Grow Act tying the 2023 debt-limit increase to spending cuts. Source
Voted against the 2025 package cancelling about $9 billion in approved spending. Source
Voted against a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution. Source

District 3 D+11

No mark

Gary Grossi

Republican

No congressional voting record; not scored

Lori Trahan

Democrat · incumbent

Scored on 27 key votes · total -3

✗Smaller government
~Small business over giants
✓Live and let live
✗Light touch on tech
✗Free speech
~No surveillance state
✓Home first, open trade
~Checks on power
✗Right to bear arms
✗Hard on violent crime

With us (9)

Voted for the 2022 antitrust package funding merger enforcement with fees on the largest deals. Source
Voted for the Respect for Marriage Act. Source
Voted for the Fourth Amendment Is Not For Sale Act, barring agencies from buying Americans' data without a warrant. Source

Against us (18)

Voted against the Limit, Save, Grow Act tying the 2023 debt-limit increase to spending cuts. Source
Voted against the 2025 package cancelling about $9 billion in approved spending. Source
Voted against a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution. Source

District 4 D+11

Leans our way: Jake Auchincloss

Leans our way

Jake Auchincloss

Democrat · incumbent

Scored on 25 key votes · total +1

✗Smaller government
~Small business over giants
✓Live and let live
✓Light touch on tech
~Free speech
~No surveillance state
✓Home first, open trade
✓Checks on power
✗Right to bear arms
✗Hard on violent crime

With us (12)

Voted for the 2022 antitrust package funding merger enforcement with fees on the largest deals. Source
Voted for the Respect for Marriage Act. Source
Voted for the CLARITY Act, a light-touch rulebook for digital assets. Source

Against us (13)

Voted against the Limit, Save, Grow Act tying the 2023 debt-limit increase to spending cuts. Source
Voted against the 2025 package cancelling about $9 billion in approved spending. Source
Voted against the Small Business Regulatory Reduction Act. Source

Tom Stalcup

Republican

No congressional voting record; not scored

District 5 D+24

No mark

Katherine Clark

Democrat · incumbent

Scored on 27 key votes · total -3

✗Smaller government
~Small business over giants
✓Live and let live
✗Light touch on tech
~Free speech
✗No surveillance state
✓Home first, open trade
~Checks on power
✗Right to bear arms
✗Hard on violent crime

With us (9)

Voted for the 2022 antitrust package funding merger enforcement with fees on the largest deals. Source
Voted for the Respect for Marriage Act. Source
Voted against the 2024 law forcing TikTok's sale or ban. Source

Against us (18)

Voted against the Limit, Save, Grow Act tying the 2023 debt-limit increase to spending cuts. Source
Voted against the 2025 package cancelling about $9 billion in approved spending. Source
Voted against a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution. Source

District 6 D+11

No mark

Seth Moulton (D): incumbent retiring to run for u.

Micah Jones

Republican

No congressional voting record; not scored

Dan Koh

Democrat

No congressional voting record; not scored

District 7 D+34

No mark

Ayanna Pressley

Democrat · incumbent

Scored on 27 key votes · total +0

✗Smaller government
~Small business over giants
✓Live and let live
✗Light touch on tech
✓Free speech
✓No surveillance state
✓Home first, open trade
~Checks on power
✗Right to bear arms
✗Hard on violent crime

With us (13)

Voted for the 2022 antitrust package funding merger enforcement with fees on the largest deals. Source
Voted for the Respect for Marriage Act. Source
Voted against the 2024 law forcing TikTok's sale or ban. Source

Against us (14)

Voted against the Limit, Save, Grow Act tying the 2023 debt-limit increase to spending cuts. Source
Voted against the 2025 package cancelling about $9 billion in approved spending. Source
Voted against a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution. Source

District 8 D+15

No mark

Robert Burke

Republican

No congressional voting record; not scored

Stephen Lynch

Democrat · incumbent

Scored on 27 key votes · total -4

✗Smaller government
~Small business over giants
✓Live and let live
✗Light touch on tech
✗Free speech
✗No surveillance state
✓Home first, open trade
~Checks on power
✗Right to bear arms
✗Hard on violent crime

With us (9)

Voted for the 2022 antitrust package funding merger enforcement with fees on the largest deals. Source
Voted for the Respect for Marriage Act. Source
Voted against a further clean extension of FISA surveillance authorities in 2026. Source

Against us (18)

Voted against the Limit, Save, Grow Act tying the 2023 debt-limit increase to spending cuts. Source
Voted against the 2025 package cancelling about $9 billion in approved spending. Source
Voted against a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution. Source

District 9 D+6

No mark

Bill Keating

Democrat · incumbent

Scored on 27 key votes · total -4

✗Smaller government
~Small business over giants
✓Live and let live
✗Light touch on tech
✗Free speech
✗No surveillance state
✓Home first, open trade
~Checks on power
✗Right to bear arms
✗Hard on violent crime

With us (9)

Voted for the 2022 antitrust package funding merger enforcement with fees on the largest deals. Source
Voted for the Respect for Marriage Act. Source
Voted against a further clean extension of FISA surveillance authorities in 2026. Source

Against us (18)

Voted against the Limit, Save, Grow Act tying the 2023 debt-limit increase to spending cuts. Source
Voted against the 2025 package cancelling about $9 billion in approved spending. Source
Voted against a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution. Source

Tyler MacAllister

Republican

No congressional voting record; not scored

Photo credits. Official congressional portraits are works of the U.S. government and in the public domain.