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Official portrait of Edward J. Markey

Edward J. Markey

D Democrat · Senator, Massachusetts
9
Low self-dealing
4/6 components have data
#171 of 193 scored

Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) presents a clean self-dealing profile across public records. His financial disclosures show holdings concentrated in diversified mutual funds and index funds (Fidelity, TIAA-CREF) rather than individual stocks, so there is no STOCK Act individual-trading activity to score. His reported net worth has grown to roughly $1.9M-$3.8M, but this growth is consistent with market appreciation of broad-market funds rather than salary-independent enrichment. Standard correlation concerns exist around telecom/tech industry money given his long Commerce Committee tenure, but he is widely regarded as a net-neutrality and pro-regulation champion who has frequently opposed those industries' positions. No campaign personal-use violations, family-lobbying ties, or fundraising-versus-work scandals surfaced; his lifetime missed-vote rate (~2.9%) is near the Senate median, with one notable 80% miss spike during the 2020 COVID period that coincided with his re-election primary.

Public record

In Congress since
1975
Committees
Small Business and Entrepreneurship (Ranking Member)
Commerce, Science, and Transportation
Environment and Public Works
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Missed votes, 119th Congress
0.8% (7 of 915; median member 1.9%)
Campaign money, 2025–26 cycle
$5.4M raised · 11% from PACs & committees · $1.3M cash on hand FEC ↗

The stock-trading ban

Senate cloture on H.R. 7008, Sep 30, 2026
No
Cosponsored a ban bill
S. 1879

H.R. 7008 bans new stock purchases by members, spouses and dependents; it doesn't force sales of existing holdings. The Senate vote was on the version paired with the SAVE Act, which is why no Democrat voted yes. Full breakdown →

Disclosed stock trades

No periodic transaction reports on file since 2024. That's the norm: most members don't trade individual stocks, or hold them in blind trusts and diversified funds.

Amounts are the ranges members must report, not exact values. The STOCK Act requires a report within 45 days of a trade; "late" counts days past that deadline, measured to the filing date.

How the score breaks down

Stock self-trading
25% weight
0
No individual-stock trading. Disclosures show holdings concentrated in diversified mutual funds and index funds (Fidelity-Rydex NASDAQ 100, TIAA-CREF Equity Index, Fidelity 500 Index), which are excepted/diversified vehicles. No STOCK Act periodic transaction reports of individual equities. Rubric: 0 when no individual-stock trading.
Markey's 2023 disclosure lists ~20 assets held primarily in mutual funds and index funds (e.g., Fidelity-Rydex NASDAQ 100, TIAA-CREF Equity Index R3, Fidelity 500 Index) rather than individual stocks.Data aggregatorfinbold.com ↗Markey's congressional trading/disclosure profile reflects fund holdings rather than active individual-equity transactions.Data aggregatorquiverquant.com ↗
Net-worth enrichment in office
15% weight
8
Estimated net worth rose from ~$0.8M-0.9M (2017-2020) to ~$1.9M-3.8M range by 2023. The increase tracks appreciation of broad-market index/mutual funds during a strong equities period and is broadly consistent with market returns plus salary, not clearly anomalous enrichment. Low-moderate uncertainty due to range-based disclosures.
Markey's estimated net worth was ~$819,507 in 2017 and ~$900,000 in 2020, rising to a $1.86M-$3.82M range per his most recent disclosure.Reference databaseopensecrets.org ↗
Money → action alignmentcorrelation, not proof of any quid-pro-quo
20% weight
20
CORRELATION, NOT PROOF. Over a long Commerce Committee career Markey has received telecom/tech-sector contributions, an inherent overlap given his jurisdiction. However, he is a longtime net-neutrality and Title II regulation champion whose positions frequently run against telecom/ISP industry interests, weakening any quid-pro-quo inference. Score reflects sector-money concentration tempered by votes that often oppose those donors.
Markey sits on the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee and has long authored/championed net neutrality legislation opposed by major telecom and ISP corporations.Official recordmarkey.senate.gov ↗OpenSecrets tracks Markey's career industry contributions, including communications/electronics-sector giving tied to his committee jurisdiction.Reference databaseopensecrets.org ↗
Campaign-fund personal useno data
15% weight
—
No public records of campaign or leadership-PAC funds spent on personal benefit, and no FEC personal-use enforcement actions found against the Markey Committee. Absence is not penalized per rubric.
The Markey Committee (C00196774) is Markey's principal campaign committee; no FEC personal-use violation or enforcement matter was identified in available records.Official recordfec.gov ↗
Revolving door & familyno data
15% weight
—
No evidence of family members lobbying on matters tied to his office or of contracts steered to relatives. A standard staff-to-lobbyist pipeline likely exists for a long-tenured senator but no specific office-tied self-dealing was documented in sources reviewed. Absence is not penalized.
No documented family-lobbying or contract ties to Markey's office surfaced; his brothers are attorneys, with no record of lobbying his office.Reference databaseen.wikipedia.org ↗
Skips the job to fundraise
10% weight
12
Lifetime missed-vote rate ~2.9% (140 of 4,774), near the Senate median of 2.8% - normal attendance. One notable spike: missed ~34 of 42 votes (~80%) in May-mid-June 2020, coinciding with his contested re-election primary, though also during the COVID period. No evidence of heavy paid speaking income. Modest score driven by the campaign-period absence spike.
From 1977-2026 Markey missed 140 of 4,774 roll-call votes (2.9%), near the Senate median.Reference databasegovtrack.us ↗Markey missed about 80% of Senate votes (34 of 42) in May-mid-June 2020 during his re-election primary and the pandemic.News reportingnbcboston.com ↗

Sources behind this score: 2 data aggregator · 4 reference database · 2 official record · 1 news reporting. Score = weighted average of the components that have data; the 2 without sourced evidence are excluded, never counted against the member. Methodology →

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