Skip to content
Ballot Explained

U.S. House · November 3, 2026

Results in Massachusetts's 5th congressional district

One candidate has qualified for this contest. Below is what each one says they stand for, what they have actually done in office or in public life, and the arguments published for and against them — each quoted from a named source rather than summarised by us.

Researched by Ballot Explained and checked against the sources cited on this page. Last updated . How we research · Report a correction

Candidates
1
Incumbent
Katherine Clark
Parties
Democratic
State primary
Sep 15

Candidates appear in ballot order. We do not rank them, score them, or recommend one — here is how this is put together, and here is what the office actually does.

1 candidates · ballot order · Katherine Clark currently holds this seat

Medium confidenceMedium confidenceThe candidate's stated positions and basic record are documented, but coverage is thin — often little independent reporting, or criticism from only one side.What would raise it: More independent reporting, a documented voting record, or published criticism from a named opponent would raise this.

What they say they stand for

Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.

  • Organising House Democrats' opposition to the Trump administration and winning back the House majority.
  • Reproductive rights, with endorsements from Planned Parenthood Action Fund and Reproductive Freedom for All.
  • Climate and environmental protection, with endorsements from the League of Conservation Voters and Sierra Club.
  • LGBTQ+ equality, with the endorsement of the Human Rights Campaign.

What they’ve actually done

Documented record from official sources.

  • US Representative for Massachusetts's 5th District since December 2013.
  • House Democratic Whip since January 2023; previously Assistant Speaker and vice chair of the Democratic Caucus.
  • Won the September 1, 2026 Democratic primary with 73.6%.
  • Raised just under $2 million in 2025, with two affiliated PACs reporting nearly $1.3 million in the first half of that year.
  • Endorsed by the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, League of Conservation Voters, Sierra Club, Human Rights Campaign and AIPAC.

Arguments in favor

  • If Democrats win the House she would be among the most powerful people in Congress, and that clout is a reason for the district to keep her.

    — David Paleologos, Suffolk University Political Research Center, to WBUR

  • She is popular in her district and in the Democratic Party, part of congressional leadership, and able to run a well-funded campaign.

    — Jeff Berry, retired Tufts University political scientist, to WBUR

Arguments against

  • Voters deserve a fighter who takes on billionaires rather than 'taking millions in their donations'; as a multimillionaire establishment incumbent she prefers patching a broken system to confronting corporations, and party leaders are 'not stopping Trump' or making life affordable.

    — Jonathan Paz, Democratic primary opponent, to The Lexington Observer and WBUR

  • She is among the politicians who promise change but deliver excuses, with 'a lack of leadership in the halls of D.C. — and a lack of presence in the district itself'.

    — Tarik Samman, Democratic primary opponent, to WBUR

What we couldn’t verify

  • Clark has no Republican opponent, so no general election campaign has published arguments against her.
  • Her campaign did not respond to WBUR's request for comment on her challengers, and no direct statement of her case for re-election was found in the coverage read.
  • Whether an independent candidate qualified for the ballot could not be confirmed.
Their campaign site ↗
Sources (5)⌄
  1. 1Rep. Clark faces dual primary challenges from the left — WBUR — wbur.org
  2. 2Jonathan Paz, a local activist and son of immigrants, challenges Katherine Clark for her seat in Congress — The Lexington Observer — lexobserver.org
  3. 3Katherine Clark wins Democratic nomination for House — The Harvard Crimson — thecrimson.com
  4. 42026 United States House of Representatives elections in Massachusetts — Wikipedia — en.wikipedia.org
  5. 5Derek For Congress — independent candidate site — derekforcongress.com

Positions and criticism are quoted from the named sources, not our assessments. This is built to help you start getting informed — confirm the official candidate list with your election authority before you vote.

Massachusetts held its state primary on September 1, 2026. Democratic incumbent Katherine Clark, the House Minority Whip, won the Democratic primary with 73.6% over former Waltham city councillor Jonathan Paz (19.7%) and Harvard Law School researcher Tarik Samman (6.6%). No Republican filed. Ballotpedia lists one independent, Arlington small business owner Derek Fleming, for the general election. His campaign launched in mid-May, around the signature filing deadline; no report confirms he qualified, and the Secretary of the Commonwealth's candidate list could not be read because of a bot check. He is therefore not profiled; if he is on the ballot this file is incomplete. The district covers Boston's northern and western suburbs, including Revere, Malden, Medford, Waltham, Lexington, Framingham and part of Cambridge. Forecasters rate it safe Democratic.

This is one contest on a longer ballot

A Massachusetts ballot also carries state legislative districts, county offices, judicial seats and often local questions — and which of them you vote on is decided by your street address, not your city or ZIP code.

See my full Massachusetts ballot

Voting in Massachusetts

Deadlines, early voting, mail ballots, ID and poll hours: how to vote in Massachusetts.

Confirm this with the official source

Your ballot is determined by your election authority, not by us. Verify your registration, precinct, and sample ballot at Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth.

Other 2026 races in Massachusetts

Massachusetts ballot measures

Before you vote

How do I find out what's on my ballot?

How do I check if I'm registered to vote?

How do I research candidates I've never heard of?

Should I vote early, by mail, or on Election Day?

Ballot Explained is free, with no account and no tracking of how you vote. If it helped, you can help keep it free →