The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the 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, Nantucket, and parts of Barnstable counties). Senators serve two-year terms, without term limits.Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Article LXXXII. 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: 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 Democrats hold a supermajority in the Senate.
Affiliation Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)TotalVacant Democratic Republican Begin 189th (2015–2016) 34 6 40 0Begin 190th (2017–2018)Begin 191st (2019–2020)Begin 192nd (2021–2022) 37 3 40 0Begin 193rd (2023–2024) 40 0 End 193rd (2023–2024) 36 4 40 0Begin 194th (2025–2026) 355 40 0October 2, 2025Democrat Edward J. Kennedy (1st Middlesex) died. 34 39 1Latest voting share
Current leadership
Current members and districts
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".
Berkshire, Hampden, Franklin, and Hampshire Bristol and Norfolk First Bristol and Plymouth Second Bristol and Plymouth Third Bristol and Plymouth Cape and Islands First Essex Second Essex Third Essex First Essex and Middlesex Second Essex and Middlesex Hampden Hampden and Hampshire Hampden, Hampshire, and Worcester Hampshire, Franklin, and Worcester First Middlesex Second Middlesex Third Middlesex Fourth Middlesex Fifth Middlesex Middlesex and Norfolk Middlesex and Suffolk Middlesex and Worcester Norfolk and Middlesex Norfolk and Plymouth Norfolk, Plymouth, and Bristol Norfolk and Suffolk Norfolk, Worcester, and Middlesex Plymouth and Barnstable First Plymouth and Norfolk Second Plymouth and Norfolk First Suffolk Second Suffolk Third Suffolk Suffolk and Middlesex First Worcester Second Worcester Worcester and Hampden Worcester and Hampshire Worcester and Middlesex
Current committees and members
Past composition of the Senate
See also 2025–2026 Massachusetts legislature List of former districts of the Massachusetts Senate List of Massachusetts Senate delegations Massachusetts House of Representatives
References
Further reading , 2007
External links Senate Members of the General Court official government website Official Senate district definitions as of 2021 2002 2010, with names of senators 2011 at Project Vote Smart