Massachusetts State Senate elections, 2024

• Presidential election
  • Presidential candidates
• Congress elections
  • U.S. Congress
  • U.S. Senate
  • U.S. House
  • Congressional special elections
• State elections
  • Ballot measures
  • State executives
  • State legislatures
  • State legislature special elections
  • State supreme courts
  • Intermediate appellate courts
• Local elections
  • Ballot measures
  • Municipal government
  • School boards
  • Trial courts
  • Political recalls
  • Additional local elections
• Voter information
  • Sample ballot
  • Election calendar
  • Election results
  • Poll opening and closing times
  • Voting policies

2024 Massachusetts Senate Elections
Primary	September 3, 2024
General	November 5, 2024

Past Election Results

2022・2020・2018・2016・2014 2012・2010・2008

2024 Elections
Choose a chamber below:
Select a state:Alaska SenateAlaska HouseArizona SenateArizona HouseArkansas SenateArkansas HouseCalifornia SenateCalifornia HouseColorado SenateColorado HouseConnecticut SenateConnecticut HouseDelaware SenateDelaware HouseFlorida SenateFlorida HouseGeorgia SenateGeorgia HouseHawaii SenateHawaii HouseIdaho SenateIdaho HouseIllinois SenateIllinois HouseIndiana SenateIndiana HouseIowa SenateIowa HouseKansas SenateKansas HouseKentucky SenateKentucky HouseMaine SenateMaine HouseMassachusetts SenateMassachusetts HouseMichigan HouseMinnesota HouseMissouri SenateMissouri HouseMontana SenateMontana HouseNebraska SenateNevada SenateNevada HouseNew Hampshire SenateNew Hampshire HouseNew Mexico SenateNew Mexico HouseNew York SenateNew York HouseNorth Carolina SenateNorth Carolina HouseNorth Dakota SenateNorth Dakota HouseOhio SenateOhio HouseOklahoma SenateOklahoma HouseOregon SenateOregon HousePennsylvania SenatePennsylvania HouseRhode Island SenateRhode Island HouseSouth Carolina SenateSouth Carolina HouseSouth Dakota SenateSouth Dakota HouseTennessee SenateTennessee HouseTexas SenateTexas HouseUtah SenateUtah HouseVermont SenateVermont HouseWashington SenateWashington HouseWest Virginia SenateWest Virginia HouseWisconsin SenateWisconsin HouseWyoming SenateWyoming HouseSubmit

Elections for the Massachusetts State Senate took place in 2024. The general election was on November 5, 2024. The primary was September 3, 2024. The filing deadline was May 28, 2024.

Following the election, Democrats maintained a 35-5 veto-proof majority.

The Massachusetts State Senate was one of 85 state legislative chambers with elections in 2024. There are 99 chambers throughout the country.

Party control

See also: Partisan composition of state senates and State government trifectas

Massachusetts State Senate
Party		As of November 5, 2024	After November 6, 2024
	Democratic Party	36	35
	Republican Party	4	5
Total		40	40

General election

   font-size: 16px !important;

} .thirdpartyname:not(:first-child) { padding-top: 5px; } .thirdpartyname { margin:0; } .candidate:last-child { padding-bottom: 5px; } @media only screen and (max-width: 600px) { .candidateListTablePartisan td { font-size: 12px !important; vertical-align: top; }

 }



Primary

   font-size: 16px !important;

}
.thirdpartyname:not(:first-child) {
			padding-top: 5px;
}
.thirdpartyname {
	margin:0;
}
.candidate:last-child {
	padding-bottom: 5px;
}
@media only screen and (max-width: 600px) {
	.candidateListTablePartisan td {
		font-size: 12px !important;
		vertical-align: top;
	}

 }




Voting information

See also: Voting in Massachusetts

Election information in Massachusetts: Nov. 5, 2024, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

• In-person: Oct. 26, 2024
• By mail: Postmarked by Oct. 26, 2024
• Online: Oct. 26, 2024

Was absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

Yes

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

• In-person: Oct. 29, 2024
• By mail: Received by Oct. 29, 2024
• Online: Oct. 29, 2024

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

• In-person: Nov. 5, 2024
• By mail: Postmarked by Nov. 5, 2024

Was early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What were the early voting start and end dates?

Oct. 19, 2024 to Nov. 1, 2024

Were all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, was a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When were polls open on Election Day?

7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. (EST)

General election race ratings

The table below displays race ratings for each race in this chamber from CNalysis.

Incumbents who were not re-elected

See also: Annual State Legislative Competitiveness Report: Vol. 14, 2024

Incumbents defeated in general elections

See also: Incumbents defeated in state legislative elections, 2024

No incumbents lost in general elections. This was less than the average of 0.4 incumbent defeats per general election cycle from 2010 to 2022.

Incumbents defeated in primaries

See also: Incumbents defeated in state legislative elections, 2024

No incumbents lost in primaries. This was less than the average of 0.1 incumbent defeats per cycle from 2010 to 2022.

Retiring incumbents

Three incumbents did not file for re-election in 2024. The average number of total retirements from 2010 to 2022 was 4. Those incumbents were:

Name	Party	Office
Susan Moran	Democratic	Plymouth and Barnstable District
Walter Timilty	Democratic	Norfolk, Plymouth, and Bristol District
Marc Pacheco	Democratic	3rd Bristol and Plymouth District

Primary election competitiveness

See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2024

This section contains data on state legislative primary election competitiveness in Massachusetts. These totals include data from all regularly-scheduled House and Senate elections. For more information about Ballotpedia's competitiveness analysis of state legislative elections, please click here.

Post-filing deadline analysis

The following analysis covers all state legislative districts up for election in Massachusetts in 2024. Information below was calculated on July 3, 2024, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.

Massachusetts had 33 contested state legislative primaries on September 3, 2024, the fewest since Ballotpedia started tracking in 2010.

There were 27 contested Democratic primaries and six contested Republican primaries. For both parties that was below the average from 2010 to 2022. The average number of contested Democratic primaries was 36.9 and the average number of contested Republican primaries was 8.3.

In addition to having fewer contested primaries, Massachusetts also had fewer candidates running for state legislative seats in 2024.

There were 279 candidates running in Massachusetts’ state legislative primaries, the fewest since Ballotpedia started tracking in 2010 and about 15.6% below the 2010 to 2022 average of 330.4.

Of all candidates, 218 were Democrats and 61 were Republicans, these were record lows for both parties.

All 200 seats of the Massachusetts General Court were up for election in 2024.

There were 181 incumbents running for reelection. From 2010 to 2022, the average number of incumbents running for reelection was 179.7.

Eighteen incumbents, or about 9.9% faced primary challengers in 2024. Between 2010 to 2022, an average of 19.1, or 10.6% of incumbents faced a primary challenger. 

Nineteen incumbents did not file for reelection in 2024. The average number of retirements from 2010 to 2022 was 20.3.

In Ballotpedia’s annual State Legislative Competitiveness report, Massachusetts received the lowest competitiveness index of all states holding elections in years that it had state legislative elections since 2016. 

Massachusetts has had a Democratic trifecta since 2023, when Governor Maura Healey (D) assumed office. Since 1992, the state has had 10 years of Democratic trifectas and no Republican trifectas. 

Open seats

The table below shows the number and percentage of open seats in the Massachusetts State Senate from 2010 to 2024. It will be updated as information becomes available following the state’s candidate filing deadline.

Open Seats in Massachusetts State Senate elections: 2010 - 2024
Year	Total seats	Open seats	Seats with incumbents running for re-election
2024	40	3 (8 percent)	37 (92 percent)
2022	40	5 (13 percent)	35 (87 percent)
2020	40	0 (0 percent)	40 (100 percent)
2018	40	4 (10 percent)	36 (90 percent)
2016	40	3 (8 percent)	37 (92 percent)
2014	40	4 (10 percent)	36 (90 percent)
2012	40	2 (5 percent)	38 (95 percent)
2010	40	8 (20 percent)	32 (80 percent)

Legislative referrals

See also: Legislative referral

A legislative referral, or legislatively referred ballot measure, is a ballot measure that appears on the ballot due to a vote of the state legislature. A legislative referral can be a constitutional amendment, state statute, or bond issue.

As of the 2024 election, a majority approval (50% + 1) was required in two successive joint legislative sessions for the Massachusetts General Court to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounted to a minimum of 101 votes, assuming no vacancies.

At the time of the 2024 election, Democrats held a 36-4 majority in the Senate and 133-25 majority in the House. Republicans needed to win 72 seats to be able to pass legislative referrals without Democratic votes. Democrats needed to lose 69 seats to lose the ability.

Process to become a candidate

See also: Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Massachusetts

See statutes: Massachusetts General Laws, Part I, Title VIII, Chapter 53

For party candidates

Recognized political party candidates seeking access to the primary election ballot must submit nomination papers. Nomination papers are provided by the Secretary of the Commonwealth. Nomination papers must be signed by a certain number of registered voters. The number of required signatures varies according to the office being sought.

Required signatures for nomination papers
Office	Required signatures
Governor, Attorney General, United States Senator	10,000
Secretary of the Commonwealth, Treasurer, Auditor	5,000
United States Representative	2,000
State Senator	300
State Representative	150

Candidates who win at least 15% at his or her state party nominating convention automatically appear on the primary ballot. The requirement is a party rule, not a statute.

A candidate must be an enrolled member of the party whose nomination he or she is seeking; with the exception of newly registered voters, the candidate must be enrolled throughout the 90-day period preceding the filing deadline. An individual cannot be a candidate for nomination by one party if he or she was enrolled in any other party during the one-year period preceding the filing deadline. A candidate must prove party affiliation by filing with the Secretary of the Commonwealth a certificate of party enrollment signed or stamped by at least three local election officials of the city or town where the candidate is registered. At least one such certificate (which is included on the nomination papers discussed below) must be completed and filed by the filing deadline.

Before filing nomination papers, the candidate must make sure that at least one of the certified nomination papers contains a written acceptance of nomination personally signed by either the candidate or his or her authorized attorney. Although the candidate does not have to sign the acceptance space on all nomination papers, the candidate should sign several certified papers to ensure that one of the papers ultimately filed with the Secretary of the Commonwealth will include the written acceptance.

For the nomination papers to be valid, a candidate for state-level office must also file a receipt from the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission indicating that he or she has filed a statement of financial interest (federal candidates are exempt from this requirement). The receipt must be filed with the Secretary of the Commonwealth by the filing deadline. Prior to the filing deadline, a state-level candidate must file a written statement with the Office of Campaign and Political Finance indicating whether the candidate agrees to limit campaign spending. A candidate who does not agree to limit spending may be required to file an additional statement of intended spending prior to the deadline for filing withdrawals of nomination.

Nomination papers must be submitted to the registrars of the cities or towns in which signatures were collected for certification prior to final filing with the Secretary of the Commonwealth.

For non-party candidates

Like party candidates, independents and other non-party candidates gain access to the general election ballot by filing nomination papers. A non-party candidate must file a certificate proving that he or she is a registered voter and is not enrolled in a recognized political party. This certificate is printed on each nomination paper, and at least one of these certificates must be signed and stamped by at least three local elections officials of the city or town where the candidate is registered.

A non-party candidate may state a political designation in no more than three words. Signature requirements are the same as those that apply to party candidates.

Required signatures for nomination papers
Office	Required signatures
Governor, Attorney General, United States Senator	10,000
Secretary of the Commonwealth, Treasurer, Auditor	5,000
United States Representative	2,000
State Senator	300
State Representative	150

Before filing nomination papers, the candidate must make sure that at least one of the certified nomination papers contains a written acceptance of nomination personally signed by either the candidate or his or her authorized attorney. Although the candidate does not have to sign the acceptance space on all nomination papers, the candidate should sign several certified papers to ensure that one of the papers ultimately filed with the Secretary of the Commonwealth will include the written acceptance.

For the nomination papers to be valid, a candidate for state-level office must also file a receipt from the State Ethics Commission indicating that he or she has filed a statement of financial interest (federal candidates are exempt from this requirement). The receipt must be filed with the Secretary of the Commonwealth by the filing deadline. Prior to the filing deadline, a state-level candidate must file a written statement with the Office of Campaign and Political Finance indicating whether the candidate agrees to limit campaign spending. A candidate who does not agree to limit spending may be required to file an additional statement of intended spending prior to the deadline for filing withdrawals of nomination.

Nomination papers must be submitted to the registrars of the cities or towns in which signatures were collected for certification prior to final filing with the Secretary of the Commonwealth.

For write-in candidates

An individual is entitled to seek nomination or election by conducting a write-in campaign. No special forms (such as a declaration of intent) are required, but write-in candidates should familiarize themselves with the rules and guidelines that govern the casting of write-in votes. More information about write-in candidacies can be accessed here.

Filing deadlines

Filing deadlines vary according to the type of candidate (i.e., party or non-party) and the office being sought. The table below summarizes the various filing deadlines established by statute.

Filing deadlines
Type of candidate and office sought	Deadline for certification with local officials	Final filing deadline
Party and non-party candidates for the Massachusetts General Court	5:00 p.m. on the 28th day preceding the final filing deadline	5:00 p.m. on the last Tuesday in May in the year the election is to be held
Party candidates for federal and statewide office	5:00 p.m. on the 28th day preceding the final filing deadline	5:00 p.m. on the first Tuesday in June in the year the election is to be held
Non-party candidates for federal and statewide office	5:00 p.m. on the 28th day preceding the final filing deadline	5:00 p.m. on the last Tuesday in August in the year the election is to be held

Qualifications

See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

Article LXXI of the Massachusetts Constitution states: Every representative, for one year at least immediately preceding his election, shall have been an inhabitant of the district for which he is chosen and shall cease to represent such district when he shall cease to be an inhabitant of the commonwealth.

Salaries and per diem

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries

State legislative salaries, 2024
Salary	Per diem
$73,655.01/year	No per diem is paid.

When sworn in

See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

Massachusetts legislators assume office the first Wednesday in January after the election.

Massachusetts political history

Trifectas

A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government.

Massachusetts Party Control: 1992-2024
Ten years of Democratic trifectas  •  No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24
Governor	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D
Senate	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
House	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D

Presidential politics in Massachusetts

2020

See also: Presidential election, 2020

Presidential election in Massachusetts, 2020

		Candidate/Running mate	%	Popular votes	Electoral votes
✔		Joe Biden/Kamala D. Harris (D)	65.6	2,382,202	11
		Donald Trump/Mike Pence (R)	32.1	1,167,202	0
		Jo Jorgensen/Spike Cohen (L)	1.3	47,013	0
		Howie Hawkins/Angela Nicole Walker (G)	0.5	18,658	0
		Other write-in votes	0.4	16,327	0

---

Incumbents are bolded and underlined The results have been certified.

Total votes: 3,631,402

2016

See also: Presidential election, 2016

U.S. presidential election, Massachusetts, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes	Electoral votes
	Democratic	Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine	60%	1,995,196	11
	Republican	Donald Trump/Mike Pence	32.8%	1,090,893	0
	Libertarian	Gary Johnson/Bill Weld	4.2%	138,018	0
	Green	Jill Stein/Ajamu Baraka	1.4%	47,661	0
	-	Write-in/other	1.6%	53,278	0
Total Votes				3,325,046	11
Election results via: Massachusetts Secretary of State

Massachusetts presidential election results (1900-2024)

• 22 Democratic wins
• 10 Republican wins

Year	1900	1904	1908	1912	1916	1920	1924	1928	1932	1936	1940	1944	1948	1952	1956	1960	1964	1968	1972	1976	1980	1984	1988	1992	1996	2000	2004	2008	2012	2016	2020	2024
Winning Party	R	R	R	D	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D

External links

Suggest a link

• Massachusetts State Senate

Footnotes

[show]

Current members of the Massachusetts State Senate

Senators

Berkshire, Hampden, Franklin, and Hampshire District

Paul Mark (D)

Bristol and Norfolk District

Paul Feeney (D)

Cape and Islands District

Julian Cyr (D)

Hampden District

Adam Gomez (D)

Hampden and Hampshire District

John Velis (D)

Hampden, Hampshire, and Worcester District

Jacob Oliveira (D)

Hampshire, Franklin and Worcester District

Jo Comerford (D)

Middlesex and Norfolk District

Karen Spilka (D)

Middlesex and Suffolk District

Sal DiDomenico (D)

Middlesex and Worcester District

James Eldridge (D)

Norfolk and Middlesex District

Cynthia Creem (D)

Norfolk and Plymouth District

John Keenan (D)

Norfolk and Suffolk District

Michael Rush (D)

Norfolk, Plymouth, and Bristol District

William Driscoll (D)

Norfolk, Worcester, and Middlesex District

Becca Rausch (D)

Plymouth and Barnstable District

Dylan Fernandes (D)

Suffolk and Middlesex District

William Brownsberger (D)

Worcester and Hampden District

Ryan Fattman (R)

Worcester and Hampshire District

Peter Durant (R)

Worcester and Middlesex District

John Cronin (D)

1st Bristol and Plymouth District

Michael Rodrigues (D)

1st Essex District

Pavel Payano (D)

1st Essex and Middlesex District

Bruce Tarr (R)

1st Middlesex District

Edward Kennedy (D)

1st Plymouth and Norfolk District

Patrick O'Connor (R)

1st Suffolk District

Nick Collins (D)

1st Worcester District

Robyn Kennedy (D)

2nd Bristol and Plymouth District

Mark Montigny (D)

2nd Essex District

Joan Lovely (D)

2nd Essex and Middlesex District

Barry Finegold (D)

2nd Middlesex District

Patricia Jehlen (D)

2nd Plymouth and Norfolk District

Michael Brady (D)

2nd Suffolk District

Liz Miranda (D)

2nd Worcester District

Michael Moore (D)

3rd Bristol and Plymouth District

Kelly Dooner (R)

3rd Essex District

Brendan Crighton (D)

3rd Middlesex District

Mike Barrett (D)

3rd Suffolk District

Lydia Edwards (D)

4th Middlesex District

Cindy Friedman (D)

5th Middlesex District

Jason Lewis (D)

Democratic Party (35)

Republican Party (5)