CIVPAC Publishes Massachusetts U.S. Senate Evaluation — No Endorsement

2026 Elections, 2026 General Election Endorsements, Centrist Political Endorsements, Senate and House Endorsements 1 Minute
Massachusetts U.S. Senate 2026 CIVPAC candidate evaluation — no endorsement

In part because of an expressed interest in our position, we have completed our evaluation of the 2026 Massachusetts U.S. Senate race. For now, we are making no endorsement.

The race presents an unusual choice between Democratic Senator Ed Markey and Republican challenger John Deaton. Markey has a long and readily assessable record and is strong on several issues important to CIVPAC, including support for Ukraine and NATO, congressional war powers, limits on presidential tariff authority and aspects of Middle East policy. But his domestic agenda is well to our left, including the full Sanders version of Medicare for All, the broader economic and social components of the Green New Deal, abolition of ICE and an annual wealth tax.

Deaton presents almost the reverse problem. His positions on health care, energy and several economic issues are considerably closer to CIVPAC’s market-oriented approach. He also takes positions on abortion and legal immigration that differ significantly from much of the national Republican Party and has repeatedly emphasized his independence from President Trump.

But Deaton has never held public office, so there is no legislative record against which to test that independence. More importantly, his published foreign-policy positions leave significant questions about Ukraine, NATO and the circumstances under which he would support continued American assistance to allies.

Those unanswered questions matter enough that we are not prepared to endorse either candidate at this time. Markey and Deaton are scheduled to debate on October 13, and we intend to revisit the race afterward. If the remaining questions are not resolved, we may ultimately make no endorsement.

Our non-endorsement should not be read as a recommendation that Massachusetts voters abstain. Rather than manufacture an endorsement where our criteria point in different directions, we have tried to provide voters with enough information to make their own judgment.

Read the full Massachusetts U.S. Senate candidate evaluation.

You can also review all of CIVPAC’s 2026 U.S. Senate general-election endorsements and evaluations or see all CIVPAC 2026 endorsements and races under review.

Published by Centrist Independent Voter, PAC

The Centrist Independent Voter Political Action Committee, Inc., also known as CIVPAC, was formally established in 2022. Its predecessor organization was founded in 2011 as the New Independent Party. CIVPAC is a nonprofit political action committee focused on moving the existing political parties toward the political center. CIVPAC’s purpose is twofold: first, to promote centrist solutions to difficult public policy problems; and second, to support moderate candidates, including Democrats, Republicans, and independents. CIVPAC’s logo is adapted from Francisco Goya’s The Sleep of Reason. The inscription in the image reads, “The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters.”

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