NOTES BETWEEN PRINTED EDITIONS
JANUARY 23, 2026 BY SAM DRYSDALE, State House News Service
Rep. Christopher Markey announced Friday that he will not seek reelection to
represent the 9th Bristol District, signaling the end of a 15-year tenure on Beacon
Hill and setting the stage for a run for Bristol County district attorney.
In a social media post, the Dartmouth Democrat wrote, “I am writing to announce
that I will not seek reelection to the Massachusetts House of Representatives this
November,” adding that he is “forever grateful that for 15 years you entrusted me to be your voice on Beacon Hill.”
Markey pledged to continue serving through the end of his term and thanked his
family, colleagues and voters, concluding, “In the coming weeks, I look forward to
sharing with you what comes next for me.”
According to The New Bedford Light, Markey said in an interview that he plans to
formally announce a bid for Bristol County district attorney next week, following
District Attorney Thomas Quinn III’s decision not to seek reelection. Markey told
the Light he is throwing his hat in the ring for the open seat, though he declined to
share details ahead of a formal announcement.
F
irst elected in 2010, Markey currently serves on the Joint Committees on Election
Laws, Health Care Financing, Housing and Mental Health, and Substance Use and Recovery. He previously chaired the House Ethics Committee during the 2019-2020 legislative session.
The 9th Bristol District consists of the town of Dartmouth and Ward 1 Precincts D,
E and F in the city of New Bedford, an area that includes much of New Bedford’s
North End. Markey lives in Dartmouth.
An attorney by profession, Markey is a graduate of Southern New England School of Law and Stonehill College, and attended Bishop Stang High School. He is the son of the late former New Bedford Mayor Jack Markey.
DEC. 9 Sen. Pat Jehlen of Somerville will not seek reelection, after 20 years in the Senate.
The progressive Democrat, 82, made the announcement in her email newsletter to constituents on Tuesday.
“I love being a senator and representing the people in our district! But I’ve been in the Senate for 20 years, and it’s time to move on. I won’t be running for re-election next year. But I’ll still represent you for all of 2026, and there’s a lot to continue working on together,” she wrote.
Jehlen represents the 2nd Middlesex District, which includes the cities of Medford and Somerville and parts of Cambridge and Winchester.
She served in the House from 1991 to 2005, before winning a 2004 special election for the Senate seat she now occupies, following the death of Sen. Charlie Shannon.
On her website, she lists the equal pay bill of 2016 and the recreational marijuana law in 2017 among her accomplishments, as well as the inclusion in a 2018 criminal justice law of medical parole and wrongful conviction compensation law updates.
Jehlen chairs the Joint Committee on Aging and Independence, and is the vice chair of the Joint Committees on Education and Revenue.
Somerville City Councilor Matt McLaughlin announced Tuesday evening that he is running for Jehlen’s seat. The Somerville native and Army veteran said he has endorsements from Mayor-elect Jake Wilson, former Mayor Joe Curtatone and Councilor Jesse Clingan. He was Jehlen’s campaign manager in 2016.
The holiday season is traditionally a time when some elected officials announce they won’t seek reelection, which gives their potential successors plenty of time to gear up for the 2026 election cycle.
