Beyond Reading: How the state and wider districts voted on Sept. 1. Primary
(3-minute read)
Massachusetts held its state primary on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, and while Reading’s own results have already been reported, the races on Reading’s ballot were also decided by voters across the state, the Fifth Middlesex Senate District, the Sixth Congressional District, and Middlesex County. State-level results, drawn from the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s election statistics website, show how these wider contests played out and, in several cases, how differently Reading voted from the electorate as a whole.
U.S. Senate and Governor
In the Democratic U.S. Senate primary, incumbent Ed Markey defeated U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton statewide, 64.7% to 35.0%, a wider margin than the roughly 53% to 47% recorded in Reading. On the Republican side, John Deaton ran unopposed with 99.3% of the vote.
The Democratic primary for governor was not competitive, with Gov. Maura Healey renominated with 98.3% of the vote. The Republican primary for governor was contested, with Mike Minogue defeating Brian Shortsleeve, 75.6% to 24.1%, setting up a Healey-Minogue matchup in November.
Several other statewide Democratic incumbents were renominated without serious opposition: Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell, Secretary of State William Galvin, Treasurer Deborah Goldberg, and Auditor Diana DiZoglio each won more than 99% of the vote. On the Republican side, Shawn Oliver won the lieutenant governor primary over Anne M. Manning-Martin, 91.6% to 6.9%, while Mike Walsh and Elizabeth Dionne were unopposed for attorney general and treasurer, respectively.
A divided Sixth Congressional District
The Democratic primary for the open Sixth Congressional District seat, vacated by Moulton’s Senate run, drew a crowded field of six candidates, with 121,551 votes cast. Districtwide, the finish was:
Dan Koh, 47,835 votes (40.9%)
Tram Nguyen, 34,324 votes (29.4%)
John Beccia, 14,215 votes (12.2%)
Jaime Belsito, 11,268 votes (9.6%)
Mariah Lancaster, 4,725 (4.0%)
Bethany Andres-Beck, 4,385 votes (3.8%)
Koh’s districtwide win matched the outcome in Reading, where he also led the field. Republican Micah Jones ran unopposed for the seat, winning 99.2% of the vote.
Fifth Middlesex State Senate
In the district race most likely tied to Reading’s own state senator, Kate Lipper-Garabedian won the Democratic primary for the Fifth Middlesex seat with 63.2% of the vote, ahead of Carey McDonald at 23.2% and Ryan O’Malley at 13.2%. That mirrors the outcome in Reading, where Lipper-Garabedian ran even stronger, though her districtwide share was somewhat lower than her total in Reading. With no Republican candidate on the ballot, Lipper-Garabedian is on track to win the seat outright in November.
The Governor’s Council seat covering the area was also decided in the primary, with Terrence Kennedy defeating Diann Baylis, 58.3% to 41.7%.
State House seats covering Reading
Reading’s precincts are split between two State House districts, both of which had primaries on the September ballot. In the district, which covers precincts 1, 7, and 8, Joe Markey won the nomination with 76.9% of the vote, against write-in votes. In the district covering precincts 1 through 6, Rich Haggerty defeated Jadon Wilson, 75.5% to 24.5%.
Middlesex County races
The Middlesex County district attorney primary was won decisively by incumbent Marian Ryan, who defeated challenger David Solet, 76.7% to 23.2%. In the Register of Probate race, Tara DeCristofaro was renominated without opposition, winning 99.6% of the vote.
With the primary results certified, attention now turns to the Nov. 3 general election, where several of the primary winners, including Lipper-Garabedian, Kennedy, Haggerty, and Ryan, will face no major-party opposition, while the races for governor and the Sixth Congressional District remain contested heading into the fall.
