NEW: Massachusetts Senator Facing Tight Re-Election Race In Deep Blue State

Even in a deep blue state like Massachusetts, Democratic U.S. senators are finding they may be in trouble next year if faced with the right Republican opponent.

The second coming of Trump has touched every corner of the country, and many of the bluest areas have seen higher levels of support for the president than during his first term. Massachusetts is no different, and Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), one of the body’s most staunchly progressive members, may be vulnerable after more than one million of his constituents voted for President Donald Trump last year.

A poll pitting Markey against Charlie Baker, the popular former Republican governor, is well within the margin of error and sure to give the Democrat a chill down his spine heading into the midterms. If the election were held today, Markey would barely eke out a victory over Baker, 35% to 33%, but with a third of voters still uncommitted.

Worse for Markey, the poll’s 4.8% margin of error means his slim lead over Baker could very well be a deficit.

The lifelong politician has toiled behind the scenes for decades, rising to the Senate in a 2013 special election after nearly 40 years in the U.S. House. Despite being 78 years old, he is the junior senator to Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who was elected the prior year.

Locally, his office is known more for its constituent services than its grandstanding, a hallmark that may explain why he has a higher approval rating (+22) than his better-known colleague Warren (+17). The survey by UMass Amherst found President Trump underwater (-33) among 700 registered voters polled this month.

Baker, who now heads the National Collegiate Athletic Association, left office with a 70% approval rating after two four-year terms and consistently ranked as the most popular governor in America during that time. He hasn’t ruled out a return to politics, as recently as October 2024, when he was asked whether he misses the rough and tumble of his former job.

“I think we live in really challenging times, and it’s important [for] really good people to step up,” Baker said at the time, according to Boston.com.

Asked if he’d consider running for president after blanking his ballot in the 2016 and 2020 elections, the former governor joked, “I’m not old enough to run for president, I’m only turning 68 this year.”

Much of Baker’s appeal lies in his ability to cross the aisle. He exacted concessions from state-level Democrats during his time in office, including bucking calls to hike taxes in a state that ranks second highest for its cost of living. During his 2018 election, he won the votes of more than one in three Democrats and nearly won the City of Boston.

Despite Trump’s deep unpopularity with most Massachusetts voters, he managed to win the working-class city of Fall River, the first time a Republican has done so in over 100 years. Nearby, a pro-Trump Republican candidate for state representative ousted the Legislature’s House pro temp in an upset.

Markey, for his part, has not reflected on the growing anti-Democrat sentiment in his own backyard. Since the election, he has kept his remarks tightly focused on blaming President Trump for withholding federal funds to his state’s sanctuary cities.