Squad Member Will Not Challenge Fellow Dem Senator As Party Frets Over Trump

Squad member Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) will not primary challenge Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) in the 2026 election. She is instead opting to run for re-election to her current seat.

“Hearing from so many people from throughout our Commonwealth encouraging me to run for the United States Senate was deeply humbling and a testament to the strength of our movement,” Pressley posted to X in a statement on Tuesday.

“It would be an honor to serve the whole Commonwealth-but with our daughter in her last year at home before college and a district that has been in the crosshairs of this White House, I am certain that the Massachusetts 7th is where I belong in this moment,” she continued.

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The only major primary challenger to Markey next year for the seat is now Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA).

The move comes as the Democratic Party is at a political crossroads in terms of both the age and ideology of candidates it runs. The congresswoman is 51 years old, and Markey is 79. Moulton is even younger at 47, and he’s been an advocate for having different Democratic leadership in the Senate besides Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).

As for Pressley, she is one of the original four members of the far-left “Squad,” which started with Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and Pressley, who all took office in 2019.

The debate has manifested most notably when President Joe Biden was swapped out for Vice President Kamala Harris as the 2024 presidential nominee. However, it is also showing up in other places, including the Maine Senate primary between 41-year-old veteran Graham Platner and 77-year-old Gov. Janet Mills.

“Congresswoman Pressley is a powerful fighter for working families and a national leader for her work in Congress,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) posted in response to Pressley’s announcement.

“No one fights harder than [Ayanna Pressley], and she will continue to be a strong, effective voice for Massachusetts,” she added. If Warren opts for re-election, it would not be until 2030, which is the year she turns 81.

Markey’s seat is rated as “Solid Democrat” by the Cook Political Report.