Minority Whip Katherine Clark prioritizes affordability and accountability in 2026 campaign

Waltham’s U.S. representative and Democratic Whip Katherine Clark will seek reelection for the Massachusetts 5th Congressional District seat, facing off against challengers in a Democratic primary this fall as she seeks an eighth consecutive term.

Clark has laid out her priorities as she campaigns to return to Washington, citing climate change, child care, health care, reproductive freedom and voting rights as some of her top issues. 

Clark is also focused on affordability, saying it’s a concern raised repeatedly by constituents throughout the district. 

“Most households are having a hard time meeting the basics,” she said. 

If reelected, she said she’d continue working to lower the cost of living and improve access to affordable health care and child care.“ Childcare shouldn’t be as much as rent or a mortgage payment,” she said. 

She said she wants to create an economy that “works for working people” while keeping women in mind. Women are often treated unfairly in the workplace, which puts them at an economic disadvantage. Clark believes that by making policy choices that would benefit the most vulnerable members, the economy will work better for everyone. ”Women take the brunt of any particular economic hardship,” Clark said. “If we’re doing right by women, we are going to be doing right by everyone.”

When asked about what she wants to accomplish if reelected, Clark said she wants to work with district residents to fight against the Trump administration on its economic, educational, and immigration policies. “We know the things we have to work on. We have to make sure that we are holding this administration and this cabinet accountable,” Clark said.

Clark cited two recent Congressional actions as examples of how she and other House Democrats are holding the Trump administration accountable. On Feb. 10 House Democrats along with two Republicans voted down a resolution that contained language that would delay tariff legislation from making its way to the House floor in a timely manner. And on Feb. 11 House Democrats joined by six Republicans passed a resolution that would lift the tariffs imposed on Canada.

“Even in the minority, I am able to represent MA-5 by using the power of our unity,” said Clark, who has whip organized the Democrats’ unified front on the votes. 

Clark said she leans on her role as party whip to tackle her agenda. “I get to use this leadership post to be able to be at the table, to push for change, to be bold, to meet the needs of the people in our district,” she said. 

Clark is only the second woman to hold the position and is currently the highest-ranking woman in Congress.

A quarter century of public service

Clark’s political career began locally 25 years ago.

She started in politics in 2001, when she successfully ran for a seat on the Melrose School Committee. She went on to serve in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 2008 to 2011 and then the state Senate from 2011 to 2013.

She was elected to Congress in a 2013 special election and House Democrats elected her party whip in 2023.

Clark said she didn’t envision a political career when she started her professional life. She earned a bachelor’s degree in history from St. Lawrence University and a law degree from Cornell University. After working as a lawyer in Chicago, Clark moved to Massachusetts in 1995 to attend Harvard University, where she earned a master’s of public administration. 

After graduating, she served as general counsel at the Massachusetts Office of Child Care Services. The role brought her attention to issues faced by families around the state, which inspired her to enter politics. 

Clark currently lives in Revere with her husband and has three children.

Clark remembers a speech given by Niki Tsongas, a former representative for Massachusetts’ 3rd Congressional District. In that speech, she spoke about the power of being in Congress, something that Clark has kept in mind over the years.

“She said that it was an incredibly powerful position for good if you were willing to work and find those opportunities to do good and make change. That’s been my North Star,” Clark said.