The Massachusetts State Primary Is Tuesday. Here’s What to Know.

When polls open Tuesday for Massachusetts’ 2026 state primary, Cambridge voters will help decide several closely contested state and federal races. Here’s what you need to know ahead of Election Day.

Nearly 2,000 Cambridge voters have already cast ballots, with in-person early voting running from Aug. 22 through Aug. 28. Polls will reopen Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Across Cambridge’s various districts, voters will help decide 11 contested races.

State House

Cambridge is split across six state House districts. Three will see contested primaries.

Incumbent state Rep. Marjorie C. Decker will again face labor organizer Evan C. MacKay ’19 for the 25th Middlesex District — the only House district located entirely in Cambridge.

MacKay, who came 41 votes shy of unseating Decker in 2024, has heavily criticized sitting legislators on Beacon Hill for a lack of transparency and accountability. Decker has often countered by touting her 13-year legislative record in the State House.

The two have each garnered support from a host of labor organizations, city and state elected officials, and progressive groups — and raised significant sums to fuel their campaigns.

Incumbent state Rep. Mike L. Connolly will also face the first reelection challenger of his decade-long tenure representing the 26th Middlesex District: Harvard Kennedy School student Neil S. Miller, a housing advocate and former federal data scientist.

State Rep. David M. Rogers, who represents part of North Cambridge in the 24th Middlesex District, will also face Nomita Ganguly in the primary. Ganguly, an attorney and State House lobbyist, is the first challenger Rogers has faced in six years.

State Senate

The Second Middlesex District has its first open state Senate race in more than two decades after incumbent state Sen. Patricia D. Jehlen announced in December that she would not seek reelection. Five Democrats have put their names on the primary ballot to fill her seat: Cambridge Vice Mayor Burhan Azeem, state Reps. Christine P. Barber and Erika Uyterhoeven, Somerville City Councilor Matthew C. McLaughlin, and Winchester School Committee member Thomas E. Hopcroft.

Longtime incumbent William N. Brownsberger ’78 is also facing his first challenger since 2012. Daniel A. Lander ’14, a former aide to Boston Mayor Michelle Wu ’07, launched a campaign to unseat Brownsberger in December and has accused Brownsberger of upholding the State House status quo on affordability and transparency.

Incumbent state Sen. Sal N. DiDomenico is the only sitting senator representing Cambridge who is running unopposed this year.

Massachusetts Governor

Massachusetts Governor Maura T. Healey ’92 is running unopposed in the Democratic primary, while two Republicans are competing Tuesday for the chance to challenge her in November.

Michael R. Minogue and Brian J. Shortsleeve ’95 have both centered their campaigns largely on the state’s finances, supporting efforts to audit state agencies and reduce spending.

Minogue and Shortsleeve have also vocally opposed many of Healey’s policies, and both have pledged to roll back state protections for undocumented immigrants if elected, including by increasing cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

U.S. Senator

Incumbent Senator Ed J. Markey (D-Mass.) is facing his first primary challenger in six years: Representative Seth W. Moulton ’01 (D-Mass.), who currently represents Massachusetts’ Sixth Congressional District.

Though the two are generally aligned on a number of policy issues, Moulton has positioned himself as a more moderate alternative to Markey and has made the incumbent’s age a central argument of his campaign. Moulton, 47, argued in his campaign announcement that Markey was too old to run again. Markey, who is 80, is the oldest Senate Democrat seeking reelection in the midterms.

The race has also attracted millions of dollars in campaign and outside spending. Moulton has raised more than $6.2 million for his campaign and received more than $241,000 from PACs. Markey, by comparison, has raised nearly $5.4 million and received nearly $590,000 from PACs.

Despite Moulton’s spending, the latest poll, conducted by 7NEWS and the University of New Hampshire, showed Markey with a 35-point lead, 63 percent to 28 percent.

U.S. Representative

Katherine M. Clark (D-Mass.), the House Democratic whip, faces two opponents Tuesday — her first primary challenge since 2014. Tarik Samman, a 27-year-old Harvard Law School researcher, and Jonathan Paz, a former Waltham city councilor, are both vying to unseat Clark, whose Fifth Congressional District covers parts of Cambridge, including Harvard Square.

Cambridge’s remaining precincts are represented by Ayanna S. Pressley (D-Mass.) in the Seventh Congressional District. Pressley is running unopposed in the Democratic primary.

Six Democrats are also contending for the Sixth District seat left open by Moulton’s Senate bid, including former Biden official Daniel A. Koh ’07.

Middlesex District Attorney

For the first time since 2018, Middlesex District Attorney Marian T. Ryan is facing a primary challenger — her former employee, David M. Solet.

Solet, the former head of the Middlesex DA’s cold case homicide unit, criticized Ryan for being politically progressive in an office he believes should be apolitical. Ryan, who has led the District Attorney’s office since 2013 and served during President Donald Trump’s first term, has positioned herself as a force against the federal administration.

Solet’s campaign boasts support from more than 25 law enforcement and public safety organizations, including the union representing Harvard University police officers. Ryan is backed by a smaller slate, including Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea J. Campbell.

—Staff writer Megan L. Blonigen can be reached at [email protected] and on Signal at mblon.50. Follow her on X at @MeganBlonigen.

—Staff writer Alma T. Barak can be reached at [email protected] and on Signal at almabk.54. Follow her on X @almabk_.