View source for Massachusetts Senate

{{Short description|Upper house of the Massachusetts General Court}}
{{For|a list of previous senators|List of Massachusetts Senate delegations}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2011}}
{{stack begin}}
{{Infobox legislature
| background_color = {{party color|Democratic Party (US)}}
| name = Massachusetts Senate
| legislature = [[2023–2024 Massachusetts legislature|193rd General Court of Massachusetts]]
| coa_pic = Seal of the Senate of Massachusetts.svg
| coa_caption = 
| term_limits = None
| new_session = January 4, 2025
| session_room = Massachusetts State House interior 02.jpg
| session_res = 240px
| house_type = Upper house
| body = Massachusetts General Court
| leader1_type = [[President of the Massachusetts Senate|President]]
| leader1 = [[Karen Spilka]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])
| election1 = July 26, 2018
| leader2_type = President pro tempore
| leader2 = [[William Brownsberger]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])
| election2 = March 20, 2019
| leader3_type = Majority Leader
| leader3 = [[Cynthia Stone Creem]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])
| election3 = February 28, 2018
| leader4_type = Minority Leader
| leader4 = [[Bruce Tarr]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]])
| election4 = January 5, 2011
| members = 40
| voting_system1 = [[First-past-the-post voting|First-past-the-post]]
| last_election1 = [[2024 Massachusetts Senate election|November 5, 2024]]
| next_election1 = [[2026 Massachusetts Senate election|November 3, 2026]]
| redistricting = Legislative Control
| structure1 = {{switcher |[[File:MA Senate 2025.svg|250px]] |Seat display|[[File:MA Senate August 2025.svg|250px]] |Map display|default=1}}
| political_groups1 = '''Majority (35)'''
* {{no wrap|{{Color box|{{party color|Democratic Party (US)}}|border=darkgray}} [[Massachusetts Democratic Party|Democratic]] (35)}}
'''Minority (5)'''
* {{nowrap|{{Color box|{{party color|Republican Party (US)}}|border=darkgray}} [[Massachusetts Republican Party|Republican]] (5)}}
| term_length = 2 years
| authority = Chapter 1, [[Massachusetts Constitution]]
| salary = $70,537/year; set to increase every two years equal to the increase in the median salary of Massachusetts. Additional stipends are given to leaders of the majority and minority party.
| meeting_place = State Senate Chamber<br />[[Massachusetts State House]]<br />[[Boston]], [[Massachusetts]]
| website = [https://malegislature.gov/Legislators/Senate Massachusetts Senate]
| rules = [https://malegislature.gov/Laws/Rules/Senate Rules of the Massachusetts Senate]
}}
{{stack end}}

The '''Massachusetts Senate''' is the upper house of the [[Massachusetts General Court]], the [[bicameral]] state legislature of the [[Commonwealth (U.S. state)|Commonwealth]] of [[Massachusetts]]. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the state. All but one of the districts are named for the counties in which they are located (the "Cape and Islands" district covers [[Dukes County, Massachusetts|Dukes]], [[Nantucket County, Massachusetts|Nantucket]], and parts of [[Barnstable County, Massachusetts|Barnstable]] counties). Senators serve two-year terms, without [[term limits in the United States|term limits]].<ref>[http://www.mass.gov/legis/const.htm Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts], Article LXXXII.</ref> The Senate convenes in the [[Massachusetts State House]] in [[Boston]], the state capital.

==Qualifications==
The following are the qualifications to be elected to the Massachusetts Senate:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/elepdf/Candidates-Guide-generic.pdf|title=How to Run for Office in Massachusetts|date=March 2017}}</ref>
* Be 18 years of age
* Be a registered voter in Massachusetts
* Be an inhabitant of Massachusetts for five years
* Be a resident of the district when elected
* Receive at least 300 signatures on nomination papers

== Recent party control ==
[[Massachusetts Democratic Party|Democrats]] hold a [[supermajority]] in the Senate.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|- style="vertical-align:bottom;"
! rowspan="3" | Affiliation
! colspan="2" | Party <br /><div style="font-size:80%">(Shading indicates majority caucus)</div>
! rowspan="3" | Total
!
|-style="height:5px"
| style="background-color:{{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}}" |
| style="background-color:{{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}" |
| style="background-color: black;" |
|-
! [[Massachusetts Democratic Party|Democratic]]
! [[Massachusetts Republican Party|Republican]]
! Vacant
|-
! nowrap style="font-size:80%"| Begin 189th (2015–2016)
| {{party shading/Democratic}} rowspan=3 | 34
| rowspan=3 | 6
! rowspan=3 | 40
| rowspan=3 | 0
|-
|-
! nowrap style="font-size:80%"|Begin 190th (2017–2018)
|-
! nowrap style="font-size:80%"|Begin 191st (2019–2020)
|-
! nowrap style="font-size:80%"|Begin 192nd (2021–2022)
| rowspan=2 {{party shading/Democratic}} | 37
| rowspan=2| 3
! 40
| 0
|-
! nowrap style="font-size:80%"|Begin 193rd (2023–2024)
! 40
| 0
|-
!nowrap style="font-size:80%" | End 193rd (2023–2024)
| {{party shading/Democratic}} | 36
| 4
! 40
| 0
|-
|colspan=5|
|-
! nowrap style="font-size:80%"|Begin 194th (2025–2026)
| {{party shading/Democratic}} | 35
| rowspan=2|5
! 40
| 0
|-
! nowrap style="font-size:80%"|October 2, 2025<ref>Democrat [[Edward J. Kennedy]] ([[Massachusetts Senate's 1st Middlesex district|1st Middlesex]]) died. [https://www.wgbh.org/news/politics/2025-10-02/state-sen-edward-kennedy-of-lowell-dies-at-74]</ref>
| {{party shading/Democratic}} | 34
! 39
| 1
|-
!Latest voting share
!{{party shading/Democratic}}|{{percentage|34|39|1}}
!{{percentage|5|39|1}}
!colspan=2|
|}
<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ballotpedia.org/Massachusetts_Senate#Historical_party_control|title=Massachusetts Senate|website=Ballotpedia|access-date=January 5, 2023}}</ref>

== Current leadership ==
{{main|2025–2026 Massachusetts legislature#Leadership}}

==Current members and districts==
{{main|2025–2026 Massachusetts legislature#Members}}

Massachusetts Senate districts are named for the counties that contain a portion of the district ordered by percentage of the district's population that is within that county. If multiple districts would have the same name under this scheme, they are also given an ordinal number. The one exception is "Cape and Islands" which if the naming scheme were followed would be "Barnstable, Dukes, and Nantucket".

* [[Massachusetts Senate's Berkshire, Hampden, Franklin and Hampshire district|Berkshire, Hampden, Franklin, and Hampshire]] 
* [[Massachusetts Senate's Bristol and Norfolk district|Bristol and Norfolk]]
* [[Massachusetts Senate's 1st Bristol and Plymouth district|First Bristol and Plymouth]]
* [[Massachusetts Senate's 2nd Bristol and Plymouth district|Second Bristol and Plymouth]]
* [[Massachusetts Senate's 1st Plymouth and Bristol district|Third Bristol and Plymouth]]
* [[Massachusetts Senate's Cape and Islands district|Cape and Islands]]
* [[Massachusetts Senate's First Essex district|First Essex]]
* [[Massachusetts Senate's Second Essex district|Second Essex]]
* [[Massachusetts Senate's Third Essex district|Third Essex]]
* [[Massachusetts Senate's First Essex and Middlesex district|First Essex and Middlesex]]
* [[Massachusetts Senate's Second Essex and Middlesex district|Second Essex and Middlesex]]
* [[Massachusetts Senate's Hampden district|Hampden]]
* [[Massachusetts Senate's Hampden and Hampshire district|Hampden and Hampshire]]
* [[Hampden, Hampshire and Worcester District|Hampden, Hampshire, and Worcester]]
* [[Massachusetts Senate's Hampshire, Franklin and Worcester district|Hampshire, Franklin, and Worcester]]
* [[Massachusetts Senate's First Middlesex district|First Middlesex]]
* [[Massachusetts Senate's Second Middlesex district|Second Middlesex]]
* [[Massachusetts Senate's Third Middlesex district|Third Middlesex]]
* [[Massachusetts Senate's Fourth Middlesex district|Fourth Middlesex]]
* [[Massachusetts Senate's Fifth Middlesex district|Fifth Middlesex]]
* [[Massachusetts Senate's Middlesex and Norfolk district|Middlesex and Norfolk]]
* [[Massachusetts Senate's Middlesex and Suffolk district|Middlesex and Suffolk]]
* [[Massachusetts Senate's Middlesex and Worcester district|Middlesex and Worcester]]
* [[Massachusetts Senate's Norfolk and Middlesex district|Norfolk and Middlesex]]
* [[Massachusetts Senate's Norfolk and Plymouth district|Norfolk and Plymouth]]
* [[Massachusetts Senate's Norfolk, Plymouth and Bristol district|Norfolk, Plymouth, and Bristol]]
* [[Massachusetts Senate's Norfolk and Suffolk district|Norfolk and Suffolk]]
* [[Massachusetts Senate's Norfolk, Worcester and Middlesex district|Norfolk, Worcester, and Middlesex]]
* [[Massachusetts Senate's Plymouth and Barnstable district|Plymouth and Barnstable]]
* [[Massachusetts Senate's Plymouth and Norfolk district|First Plymouth and Norfolk]]
* [[Massachusetts Senate's 2nd Plymouth and Bristol district|Second Plymouth and Norfolk]]
* [[Massachusetts Senate's 1st Suffolk district|First Suffolk]]
* [[Massachusetts Senate's 2nd Suffolk district|Second Suffolk]]
* [[Massachusetts Senate's 3rd Suffolk district|Third Suffolk]]
* [[Massachusetts Senate's Suffolk and Middlesex district|Suffolk and Middlesex]]
* [[Massachusetts Senate's 1st Worcester district|First Worcester]]
* [[Massachusetts Senate's 2nd Worcester district|Second Worcester]]
* [[Massachusetts Senate's Worcester and Hampden district|Worcester and Hampden]]
* [[Massachusetts Senate's Worcester and Hampshire district|Worcester and Hampshire]]
* [[Massachusetts Senate's Worcester and Middlesex district|Worcester and Middlesex]]

==Current committees and members==
{{main|2025–2026 Massachusetts legislature#Committees}}

== Past composition of the Senate ==
{{main|Political party strength in Massachusetts}}

{{multiple image
 | align = center
 | width = 160
 | direction = horizontal
 | image1 = 107th MA-Senate composition.png
 | caption1 = Composition by municipality in the [[187th Massachusetts General Court (2011-2012)|187th]] and [[188th Massachusetts General Court (2013-2014)|188th]] General Courts.
 | image2 = 189th MA-Senate composition.png
 | caption2 = Composition by municipality in the [[189th Massachusetts General Court (2015-2016)|189th]] General Court and at the opening of [[190th Massachusetts General Court (2017-2018)|190th]] General Court.
 | image3 = 190th MA-Senate composition beginning December 5 2017.png
 | caption3 = Composition by municipality in the 190th General Court beginning on December 5, 2017.
 | image4 = Massachusetts 191st General Court Senate Composition January 2019.svg
 | caption4 = Composition by municipality at the beginning of the [[191st Massachusetts General Court (2019-2020)|191st]] General Court.
}}

==See also==
* [[2023–2024 Massachusetts legislature]]
* [[List of former districts of the Massachusetts Senate]]
* [[List of Massachusetts Senate delegations]]
* [[Massachusetts House of Representatives]]

== Notes ==
{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |chapter-url= https://archive.org/stream/publicofficersof20052006bost#page/36/mode/2up |title= Public Officers of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts |chapter=Senate of the General Court of Massachusetts |year=2005 }}, [https://archive.org/stream/publicofficersof20072008bost#page/36/mode/2up 2007]
* {{citation |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/04/03/house-senate-power-struggle-brewing/bSabieBtmbwnmRXEzUHR5M/story.html |work=Boston Globe |date=April 4, 2015 |title= House–Senate power struggle brewing}}

==External links==
*[http://www.mass.gov/legis/memmenus.htm Senate Members of the General Court] ''official government website''
*[https://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/eledist/sen21idx.htm Official Senate district definitions] as of 2021
** [http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/eledist/sen02idx.htm 2002] 
**[https://web.archive.org/web/20100304165150/http://www.mass.gov/legis/sendis03.htm 2010], with names of senators
**[http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/eledist/sen11idx.htm 2011]
*[https://archive.today/20100718035336/http://www.vote-smart.org/official_state_legislator.php?type=office&state_id=MA&criteria=upper State Senate of Massachusetts] at [[Project Vote Smart]]
*{{Ballotpedia|Massachusetts_State_Senate}}

{{Massachusetts Senate}}
{{Massachusetts legislative districts}}
{{United States legislatures}}
{{Massachusetts government}}
{{MA General Courts}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Massachusetts Senate| ]]
[[Category:State upper houses in the United States]]