Results from the September 1st Primary in Massachusetts
Primary elections were held on Tuesday in Massachusetts. Results below are for statewide and federal contests. Full context about women in the 2026 elections, including candidate lists, summaries, and historical comparisons, is available via the Center for American Women and Politics’ (CAWP) Election Watch.
LAST UPDATE: 9/2/2026 at 9:30AM ET
Toplines
Massachusetts
Statewide Elective Executive Office
- Incumbent Governor Maura Healey (D) and Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll (D) were unopposed in the primary. They will run again on the same general election ticket in a contest currently rated as “Solid Democrat” by Cook Political Report. Healey and Driscoll became the first all-woman ticket to win a gubernatorial election in 2022.
- In 2026, other all-woman gubernatorial tickets have advanced to the general election in Alaska (Republicans Candi English and Jodi Taylor), Michigan (Democrats Jocelyn Benson and Winnie Brink), New Mexico (Democrats Deb Haaland and Maggie Toulouse Oliver), and New York (Democrats Kathy Hochul and Adrienne Adams).
- Women are running separately as general election nominees this year for governor and lieutenant governor from the same party in Arkansas (Republican incumbents Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Leslie Rutledge), Texas (Democrats Gina Hinojosa and Vikki Goodwin), and Vermont (Democrats Amanda Janoo and Molly Gray).
- Women have simultaneously held the governor and lieutenant governor roles in four states to date: Arkansas (ran separately), Iowa (LG appointed to fill a vacancy after election), Massachusetts (ran as joint general election ticket), and Virginia (ran separately).
- With the addition of Healey, there are now a record number (17) of Democratic women nominees for governor in 2026. This number is likely to rise with upcoming primaries. The previous record was 16, set in 2022. There are currently seven Republican women nominees for governor; with just two Republican women running in upcoming gubernatorial primaries, it is possible that the record for Republican women gubernatorial candidates, currently nine, could be tied but not broken.
- Women are 6 of 10 (60%) major-party nominees for statewide elective executive office, including governor and lieutenant governor, in Massachusetts, including 5 of 6 (83.3%) Democrats and 1 of 4 (25%) Republicans.
U.S. House
- Women are 3 of 14 (21.4%) major-party nominees for U.S. House in Massachusetts, including 3 of 9 (33.3%) Democrats and 0 of 5 (0%) Republicans.
- All three nominees are incumbents in races in which they are heavily favored.
Massachusetts
0
3 (3D)
6 (5D, 1R)
U.S. Senate
No women filed as candidates for U.S. Senate in Massachusetts in 2026. U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D) is not up for re-election this year. Warren is the only woman who has served in the U.S. Senate from Massachusetts.
U.S. House
Women Nominees in 2026: Based on primary election results, women are 3 of 14 (21.4%) major-party nominees for U.S. House in Massachusetts, including 3 of 9 (33.3%) Democrats and 0 of 5 (0%) Republicans.
The number of women major-party nominees for the U.S. House falls short of the previous high (7), first set in 2020. Two (2D) women House candidates were unsuccessful. Of the 3 (3D) women nominees for U.S. House in Massachusetts: all three (3D) are incumbents.
|
District |
Woman Nominee |
Party |
Seat Status |
Race/Ethnicity |
Current Cook Political Report Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
3 |
Lori Trahan |
D |
Incumbent |
White |
Solid Democrat |
|
5 |
Katherine Clark |
D |
Incumbent |
White |
Solid Democrat |
|
7 |
Ayanna Pressley |
D |
Incumbent |
Black |
Solid Democrat |
Current/Historic Women’s Representation: Women currently hold 3 of 9 (33.3%) seats in the Massachusetts delegation to the U.S. House. Seven (5D, 2R) women have served in the U.S. House from Massachusetts.
Women Candidates in 2026: Five (5D) women filed as candidates for U.S. House seats in Massachusetts in 2026. This is not a record high. They were 5 of 25 (20%) total major-party candidates for U.S. House in 2026.
Statewide Elective Executive Office
Women Nominees in 2026: Based on primary election results, women are 6 of 10 (60%) major-party nominees for statewide elective executive office in Massachusetts, including 5 of 6 (83.3%) Democrats and 1 of 4 (25%) Republicans.
The number of women major-party nominees for statewide elective executive office falls short of the previous high (7). No women statewide executive candidates were unsuccessful. Of the 6 (5D, 1R) women nominees for statewide elective executive office in Massachusetts: 5 (5D) are incumbents, and 1 (1R) is a challenger.
|
Office |
Woman Nominee |
Party |
Seat Status |
Race/Ethnicity |
Current Cook Political Report Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Governor |
Maura Healey |
D |
Incumbent |
White |
Solid Democrat |
|
Lieutenant Governor |
Kim Driscoll |
D |
Incumbent |
White |
|
|
Attorney General |
Andrea Joy Campbell |
D |
Incumbent |
Black |
|
|
Auditor |
Diana DiZoglio |
D |
Incumbent |
White |
|
|
Treasurer |
Deborah Goldberg |
D |
Incumbent |
White |
|
|
Treasurer |
Elizabeth Dionne |
R |
Challenger |
White |
Current/Historic Women’s Representation: Women currently hold 5 of 6 (83.3%) statewide elective executive offices in Massachusetts. Twelve (9D, 3R) women have served in statewide elective executive offices in Massachusetts.
Women Candidates in 2026: Six (5D, 1R) women filed as candidates for statewide elective executive office in Massachusetts in 2026. This is not a record high. They were 6 of 11 (54.5%) total major-party candidates for statewide elective executive office in 2026.
