MASSACHUSETTS — Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley has endorsed Senator Ed Markey in his 2026 Senate re-election bid, the latest progressive heavyweight to line up behind the 79-year-old incumbent as he faces a primary challenge from Congressman Seth Moulton.

Markey announced the endorsement on Sunday, posting a photo of himself with Pressley and praising her as someone who "knows that progress doesn't happen by accident."

.@AyannaPressley knows that progress doesn't happen by accident—it happens because we organize, we legislate, and we never back down from the work of building a more just Commonwealth. I'm grateful to earn her endorsement and look forward to our continued partnership. pic.twitter.com/wRgPvV7IXC— Ed Markey (@EdMarkey) March 2, 2026

"I'm grateful to earn her endorsement and look forward to our continued partnership," Markey wrote.

The progressive coalition locks in

The endorsement follows Boston Mayor Michelle Wu backing Markey less than a week ago. Together with Pressley's support, Massachusetts' progressive establishment is making clear it intends to protect the incumbent from Moulton's challenge. Pressley, who boycotted the State of the Union earlier this month, has been one of the most outspoken progressive voices in the state delegation. Her endorsement sends a clear signal to the party's left flank: Markey is their guy. Markey has held his Senate seat since winning a special election in 2013 and has been in Congress since 1976. He has leaned heavily into progressive positioning in recent months, demanding the abolition of ICE, impeachment of Trump, and passage of the Green New Deal in a nine-point policy tweet that went viral last week.

The Moulton factor

Congressman Seth Moulton, a Marine veteran who served four tours in Iraq, announced his primary challenge last October. He has pitched himself as a pragmatic alternative to Markey, criticizing the senator's approach as more focused on social media than substance.

The contrast between the two could not be sharper. Moulton is 47, a combat veteran who has broken with the progressive wing on issues like military spending and border security. Markey is 79, a career legislator who has represented Massachusetts in Washington for nearly half a century and has increasingly aligned himself with the party's most progressive voices.

Pressley's endorsement suggests the progressive wing views Moulton's challenge as a serious enough threat to start consolidating early. When your incumbent needs endorsements from the mayor and a congresswoman before the primary even heats up, it's not exactly a show of overwhelming confidence.

The Massachusetts Senate primary is scheduled for September 2026.