In perhaps his most direct attack on Moulton — though without naming him directly — Markey declared that Massachusetts “deserves better than a senator who scapegoats trans kids.” The comment was an apparent reference to Moulton’s remarks after the 2024 election, in which he took fire from within his party for singling out trans student-athletes as an example of an issue on which the party is closed off to discussing different points of view.
The address wasn’t without its awkward moments. Markey’s mic was cut when he went over the allotted 20 minutes for his speech, which was printed in a binder that his wife, after walking onto the stage, physically had to shut in front of Markey before they both left the stage.
Markey did not take questions from the press after his speech nor did he mingle long with delegates. His campaign instead sent Dallas Ducar, an executive at Fenway Health and openly transgender activist, to speak with reporters.
“Seth has a lot of ambition,” Ducar told the Globe, “but Markey has stood up consistently for trans lives.”
US Representative Seth Moulton, a US Senate candidate, speaks to Democratic delegates from the stage at Saturday’s state party convention.John Tlumacki/Globe Staff
Moulton told reporters he was “proud of the support” he had in the room, but was “just aiming to get on the ballot.” He said he is more focused on meeting voters during town halls around the state and calling for Markey to agree to more debates against him.
“This is not a time to talk about incremental change or to look at the midterms as just a chance to barely scrape by and win back the House,” Moulton told more than 4,000 delegates in attendance during his remarks. “This is a time for Democrats to go big, to start anew, and to lead with courage.”
While the race has consumed the state political class for months, with both candidates making appearances at town halls and rallies, neither candidate has seen a flood of fund-raising befitting a nationally watched race, nor have their campaigns started airing ads on TV.
Democratic activists on Saturday also formally backed several statewide incumbents running unopposed: Attorney General Andrea Campbell, state Auditor Diana DiZoglio, and eight-term incumbent Secretary of State William F. Galvin. Neither Campbell nor Galvin received the party’s endorsements in 2022 before topping their primary challengers and later winning in November.
On Friday night, attendees formally endorsed Governor Maura Healey, who is also not facing a primary challenger and delivered a roughly 30-minute speech linking the two Republicans vying to unseat her to President Trump.
Trump and his administration’s efforts to dramatically reshape the federal government and policy remained an animating force among Democrats on Saturday.
Moulton referred to Trump as a “monster” in the White House and said he would go “toe to toe with the MAGA machine and win.” Markey called the president the “commander in chief of corruption” and called for him to be removed “now.”
Senator Elizabeth Warren declared Massachusetts Democrats were “here to say to Donald Trump and his monkeys that nobody should have to sell their blood to put food on the table.”
And the crowd erupted in cheers after Campbell declared that she has sued the Trump administration more than 50 times over attempts to block birthright citizenship, defund nutrition benefits, and undo abortion protections.
“We took on tyranny before, and we are taking it on right now,” she said.
A huge flag is reflected in the glasses of Melanie Thompson, a delegate from Lexington, during the Massachusetts Democratic Party’s convention on Saturday.John Tlumacki/Globe Staff
The winner of the Democratic Senate primary will face Republican John Deaton, a wealthy personal injury lawyer and cryptocurrency advocate who lost to Warren in 2024.
Markey’s overwhelming support Saturday comes as he faces another younger opponent making a generational change argument six years after he fended off a challenge from then-US Representative Joe Kennedy III.
It’s an argument that again has seen limited support: An April Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll of likely Democratic primary voters found that many said a candidate’s age matters little, if at all, in their vote. And 84 percent of those surveyed said they viewed Markey favorably.
Markey’s institutional support was on display even before he took the stage: His introduction video included several members of Congress backing him, including Warren and US Representative Ayanna Pressley. He received what amounted to rock-star treatment in the room, as supporters in pink “Organize” T-shirts swarmed the floor ahead of his remarks.
Moulton, in turn, continued to pressure Markey to participate in at least one more debate against him, and to “show the country what a strong, vibrant Democratic party looks like.” After the vote, his campaign released a statement questioning “why — or what — is the Senator hiding?” and linked to a story about former President Biden’s disastrous debate performance during the 2024 election.
Paul Alfano, a 66-year-old delegate from Bourne, said he is supporting Moulton because he believes “the time has come for some of the older politicians.” He said he “wasn’t surprised” by the results Saturday, but believes Moulton will perform better in the September primary, in which independent voters and other Democrats beyond the party’s more progressive base can vote.
“Our party, in general, is very progressive, very liberal,” Alfano said. “That’s not what Massachusetts is, and I think [Moulton’s] voice in the broader Massachusetts is big and will be part of his campaign, not just the party regulars here.”
Part of Moulton’s challenge has been getting attention: Many Massachusetts Democrats, even those supporting Moulton or Markey, said they are more focused on competitive races in swing states that will determine which party controls the US House and Senate — and potentially check the Trump presidency — come November.
Leonard Paolillo, an 82-year-old delegate from Brookline, said he planned to support Markey, citing his past work on environment issues and the junior senator’s endorsement from Warren, whom he said he admires. But he said his primary concern is retaking control of Congress in the fall, declaring that currently, “we’re in crisis.”
“The problem is, we have it pretty good in Massachusetts. Now people in Massachusetts are trying to help people in other states by donating, making phone calls, especially for the senators that are running on the [Democratic] ticket,” Paolillo said.
Party delegates on Saturday cast paper ballots, which were tabulated in a separate counting room, ditching the app-based system the party used in 2022 that created confusion.
Voting went relatively smoothly this time, particularly compared to the state Republican Party’s convention at the same venue last month, when vote counting was delayed so long that the party’s endorsed gubernatorial candidate, Mike Minogue, paid for bar tabs for attendees.
Samantha J. Gross can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her @samanthajgross. Anjali Huynh can be reached at [email protected].
