The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA) have announced their endorsements of Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) for re-election.

Markey will face Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) in the Democratic primary ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. At 79, Markey would be among the oldest members of Congress if re-elected. Moulton has called for a “new generation of leaders who listen more to the people that we represent and honestly represent their needs and concerns.”

A Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll conducted on November 25 found Markey leading Moulton, 45% to 22%, among Massachusetts registered voters. An earlier UMass Amherst/WCVB poll from November showed 51% support for Markey compared to 28% for Moulton.

Moulton raised more money than Markey to close out 2025, according to The Boston Globe.

SEIU represents 115,000 unionized members, including janitors, security officers, airport workers, health care workers, human service professionals, street outreach workers, and resident physicians and fellows. The MTA represents over 117,000 unionized public school teachers, public college and university faculty, education support professionals as well as education specialists, like librarians and school counselors.

“When it comes to the quality and availability of direct care,” said Harris Gruman, the executive director of the SEIU MA State Council, “no one in my experience has worked as thoughtfully and effectively as Ed Markey with the providers themselves to improve and expand hospital, nursing, and home care.”

Cari Medina, the executive vice president of 1199 SEIU shared how Markey “stood with caregivers when private equity like Steward Health Care weakened our health care system by shuttering two hospitals.” In September 2024, Markey hosted a press conference along with the union and the Massachusetts Nurses Association, condemning Steward’s CEO, Ralph de la Torre, for refusing to testify about the company’s financial crisis. A year later, Markey wrote to Attorney General Pam Bondi urging enforcement of the Senate’s criminal contempt referral against de la Torre.

He also warned against private equity in the health care system, working with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) to investigate Steward, how its executives enriched themselves, and the debt left behind at its facilities.

Markey also co-authored the Good Jobs for Good Airports Act, which ensures workers at federally funded airports earn family-sustaining wages and have access to benefits.

“In his leadership on better airport service jobs through the Good Jobs, Good Airports Act, his defense of immigrant rights, and his commitment to health care access for all, Sen. Markey has proven his values and dedication,” said Kevin Brown, the executive vice president of 32BJ SEIU. “Now, in this time of vicious, racialized attacks by the federal government, our state and nation need Sen. Markey’s passionate leadership in Congress more than ever, and we are proud to commit ourselves to supporting his campaign for re-election however we can.” 

Markey shared a statement, sent to the Swampscott Tides, thanking SEIU for its endorsement.  He called the MTA educators the backbone of public pre-kindergarten through 16 education. 

“Whether it’s airport workers keeping our national transportation system moving, healthcare workers holding the line during crises like Steward when private equity tried to loot our healthcare system, or human service workers caring for people who are too often overlooked – these jobs are essential to the strength of our communities and our economy,” Markey said. “I take seriously the trust SEIU members are placing in me, and I will keep fighting to make sure working people have real power, real job security, and a voice that can’t be ignored in Washington.”

Markey also shared with the Swampscott Tides how he is “honored to earn” the MTA’s endorsement. 

“MTA educators are on the front lines every day, fighting to make sure every student — no matter their ZIP code — gets the world-class public education Massachusetts is known for,” Markey said. “They understand that our students’ learning conditions are educators’ working conditions, and when educators have the support, resources, and respect they deserve, students thrive. That fight — for students, for fairness, and for dignity on the job — is my fight too, and I will continue to stand with public education workers in the Senate every step of the way.”

Markey championed the bipartisan Social Security Fairness Act, repealing the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset and restoring full benefits to nearly 3 million retirees nationwide, including tens of thousands of Massachusetts educators.

“Sen. Markey is a leader, not a follower. We saw that firsthand when he tirelessly fought to restore Social Security retirement benefits unfairly withheld from public employees, including tens of thousands of public school educators in Massachusetts,” said MTA Vice President Deb McCarthy. “And he is a leader in a national movement to end the exploitation of Education Support Professionals by introducing federal legislation that guarantees minimum pay levels for ESPs and paraprofessionals.” 

As a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee and chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Clean Air, Climate, and Nuclear Safety, Markey has also co-authored legislation addressing toxic contamination, including lead and asbestos, in schools nationwide.

Markey has also defended and strengthened federal investments into public education, including Title I and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

“Sen. Markey understands that public education and labor rights form the backbone of the middle class,” said MTA President Max Page. “His advocacy on behalf of working families, educators and students has benefited communities not just in Massachusetts but across the country. In a time when the Trump administration is attacking public education and trying to strip away union rights, we could ask for no better champion than Ed Markey to stand with us in protecting the values that are important to our members and to the families of Massachusetts.”