There are 26 incumbents in Massachusetts’ General Court facing primary challengers on Sept. 1. This is the most since at least 2010.  All 160 seats in the Massachusetts House of Representatives and all 40 seats in the Massachusetts Senate are up for election this year.

Since 2010, Democratic incumbents have made up the vast majority of contested incumbents. This year, there are 25 contested Democratic incumbents and one contested Republican incumbent. This is the most contested number of Democratic incumbents since 2010. In most years since 2010, there has only been one contested Republican incumbent.

There are 184 incumbents running for re-election. An average of about 180 incumbents ran for re-election between 2010 and 2024. There are 16 open seats, meaning no incumbent is running for re-election. An average of about 20 seats were open in years between 2010 and 2024.

There are 37 contested Democratic primaries and five contested Republican primaries. Between 2010 and 2024, there were an average of about 32 Democratic primaries and eight Republican primaries each year.

In total, 296 candidates are running. This is lower than the average of about 321 candidates from 2010 to 2024. Of the candidates that are running, 233 are Democrats, and 63 are Republicans.

Heading into the 2026 elections, Massachusetts is one of 16 states with a Democratic trifecta. Democrats hold a 35-5 majority in the Massachusetts Senate and a 132-25-1 majority with two vacancies in the Massachusetts House. Governor Maura Healey, who is running for re-election this year, is a Democrat. Click here to learn more about this years elections for the Massachusetts Senate, and here to learn more about this year's elections for the Massachusetts House.