Who's running 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.
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.
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.