With less than five months until their September primary, Senator Ed Markey holds a double-digit lead over Representative Seth Moulton among likely Democratic primary voters, many of whom said a candidate’s age matters little, if at all, in their decision, a Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll found.
The survey found 47 percent of likely primary voters would choose Markey, the 79-year-old incumbent, if the election were held today, compared to 30 percent who said they would pick Moulton, a 47-year-old Iraq War veteran who’s made Markey’s age and seniority a central part of his challenge.
More than 20 percent of the 500 likely primary voters surveyed said they were undecided about whom they would back in the Sept. 1 primary.
The margin marks a slightly narrowing lead for Markey, who led Moulton by 23 percentage points in a November Suffolk/Globe poll that included a smaller subset of likely primary voters.
Markey, who has held his Senate seat since 2013, is still immensely popular among the state’s Democratic base: 84 percent of those surveyed in this month’s poll said they view him favorably and nearly three-quarters of the 500 likely voters surveyed said he has done an “excellent” or “good” job.
Democratic primary voters overall also had high marks for Governor Maura Healey, who’s seeking a second term. More than two years out from the next presidential election, voters also indicated they were most excited by the prospect of former transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg seeking the party’s nomination in 2028.
It’s the Senate primary, however, that remains a key focus. Longshot candidate Alex Rikleen, a former teacher and Markey’s first declared challenger, wasn’t included among the options in the poll because he has less than $100,000 in his campaign war chest, said David Paleologos, director of Suffolk University Political Research Center. Democrats running for statewide office in Massachusetts need support from 15 percent of attendees at the state’s Democratic convention in May to get their names on the ballot.
In a sign of a potential hurdle for Moulton — who has made generational change the crux of his campaign — 26 percent of those surveyed said the age of the candidates would influence them “a lot” in deciding how to vote in the Senate matchup. Another 68 percent said age had “a little” or no impact on their decision.
Paleologos said a candidate’s age may matter to the general electorate, including independent voters who can vote in the party primary of their choice, but less so for those likely to vote in Democratic contests. Those voters also tend to skew more toward the party’s more progressive wing.
“When I saw less than 30 percent said that the age difference mattered a lot, that was a sign that age alone was not enough to topple Markey,” Paleologos said.
Moulton is, in fact, less popular among Democratic primary voters compared to Markey: 55 percent said they have a favorable view of the six-term congressman, while 16 percent said they view Markey unfavorably.
Moulton has said that Markey, who turns 80 in July, is a “good man” and acknowledged that he agrees with Markey on “the vast majority of issues.” But he pointed to Markey’s long tenure in Washington — Markey first joined the House 50 years ago — and emphasized that Markey would be 86 by the time the next term ended.
Markey has long countered that “it’s not your age, it’s the age of your ideas” that matters.
Michael Somers, a pediatric physician from Westwood who is backing Markey, acknowledged that age “plays a role in people’s ability to do their job.”
“But to date, I haven’t been concerned that Senator Markey is not able to perform as well as he’s performed in the past,” said Somers, 66.
Still, some Democratic primary voters said it’s time for a new face in the Senate. Eddy Chrispin, a 57-year-old Moulton supporter who was among those who said age matters “a lot,” said it’s not his sole consideration but called it a “concern.”
“I think sometimes you need fresh blood, new ideas, new people coming in,” said Chrispin, a police officer from Boston. “We have a Senate that’s supposed to represent the people, but we have a number of people who are in Congress who have been in office for 20-plus years.”
Democratic primary voters had largely positive reviews for Healey ahead of her reelection bid this fall, with 81 percent holding a favorable view and 75 percent rating her job performance as “excellent” or “good.”
It’s far better than Healey performed among the broader electorate in the November Suffolk/Globe poll, where 53 percent said they either didn’t think she should be reelected or were unsure if she should be.
“I have kind of mixed feelings, because I feel like she was extremely effective as an attorney general, she was probably a better fighter than she is a governor,” said Elizabeth Anker, a 71-year-old retired music teacher from Jamaica Plain. “She’s not as progressive as I would like, and she’s being very careful right now. But I like a lot of the stuff that she’s done.”
Healey also fared well in hypothetical matchups against Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll and state Auditor Diana DiZoglio, besting both Democrats by more than 50 points in speculative head-to-head primary contests.
Close to one-third of voters surveyed said the state’s high cost of living is the top issue they want Healey to tackle, followed by housing and “responding to President Trump.”
Despite positive reviews for Democratic officials in Massachusetts, voters said they are unimpressed with their party’s congressional leaders. A plurality — 40 percent — said Democratic leaders in the House and Senate have done a “fair” job in their roles, and nearly one-third said they had done poorly.
That said, about 78 percent said they are at least somewhat or very confident in the party’s chances in the House in the midterms.
“You got a loose cannon in the White House with Trump, so I’m very optimistic about Democrats taking control of the House,” said Christopher Despres, a 51-year-old Democrat from Hardwick. “But I always brace for the worst.”
Looking further ahead, Democratic primary voters said they are most excited by Buttigieg among a list of potential 2028 presidential candidates voters, with 23 percent opting for the former mayor of South Bend, Ind.
Roughly 17 percent said they’re most excited about California Governor Gavin Newsom, the next most popular choice, followed by New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, whom 14 percent picked.
The Suffolk/Globe poll was conducted over five days, from Thursday to Monday, and its margin of error was plus or minus 4.4 percentage points. Live callers reached respondents via mobile and landline phones.
Kelly Garrity can be reached at kelly.garrity@globe.com.