--- title: "Clark: 2026 Massachusetts’ 5th District race" url: "https://www.2026election.com/race/2026-house-ma-05" updated: "2026-09-02" source: "Candidates' campaign sites and Ballotpedia, quoted verbatim" publisher: "Pluribus" --- # 2026 Massachusetts’ 5th District race: Katherine Clark (D) Rating: Safe D · Election: November 3, 2026 · Ballot checked: October 9, 2026 · Positions captured: September 2, 2026 The 2026 election for Massachusetts' 5th Congressional District features incumbent Democratic Representative and House Minority Whip Katherine Clark seeking re-election following her victory in the September 1, 2026 Democratic primary. The race centers on Clark's national progressive leadership, economic relief efforts, healthcare access, reproductive freedom, and voting rights. ## Candidates - **Katherine Clark** (Democrat) · [Campaign site](https://katherineclark.org) · [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Katherine_Clark) - No Republican nominee ## Issues ### Economy and Cost of Living Salience: high **Katherine Clark:** Supports middle-class relief, unions, and lifting tariffs Clark advocates for an economy that prioritizes working families over the wealthy through living wages, paid family leave, and collective bargaining rights. She focuses on lowering living costs by lifting trade tariffs, ending foreign conflicts that raise gas prices, and expanding federal childcare subsidies. - Supported the American Rescue Plan to increase the Child Tax Credit and expand childcare relief. - Advocates for universal paid family leave, equal pay legislation, and collective bargaining protections. - Opposes broad tariffs and military conflicts that increase domestic energy and consumer prices. > “Our economy should work for all Americans– not just the ultra wealthy.” > — Katherine Clark, via [Campaign site](https://katherineclark.org) _No Republican nominee_ ### Healthcare Salience: high **Katherine Clark:** Supports expanding ACA, Medicaid, and prescription price caps Clark views access to healthcare as a fundamental human right and works to safeguard federal health safety-net programs against spending cuts. She supports capping prescription drug prices, extending Affordable Care Act tax credits, and bolstering treatment for substance abuse disorders. - Opposed federal cuts to Medicaid and fought to maintain Affordable Care Act subsidies. - Supported legislation capping insulin costs at $35 per month and authorizing Medicare prescription price negotiations. - Passed legislation addressing infant care and medical professional shortages during the opioid epidemic. > “Access to health care should be a right, not a privilege.” > — Katherine Clark, via [Campaign site](https://katherineclark.org) _No Republican nominee_ ### Abortion and Reproductive Rights Salience: high **Katherine Clark:** Supports codifying federal abortion rights and contraception protections Clark is a leading congressional advocate for reproductive freedom, supporting federal legislation to guarantee nationwide abortion access and protect contraception rights. She opposes state-level legal restrictions and prosecutions targeting patients traveling across state lines for medical care. - Voted to pass federal legislation establishing statutory nationwide abortion access and birth control protection. - Supports legal shields for physicians and out-of-state patients seeking reproductive healthcare. > “As the highest-ranking woman in Congress, Katherine has always fought to protect women.” > — Katherine Clark, via [Campaign site](https://katherineclark.org) _No Republican nominee_ ### Childcare and Early Education Salience: medium **Katherine Clark:** Supports treating childcare as essential federal infrastructure Clark champions treating childcare as core economic infrastructure, advocating for expansive federal investments in early education and Head Start. She works to make childcare affordable for working families and college students while increasing relief funding for early childhood providers. - Secured $50 billion in pandemic relief funding for childcare providers, early educators, and parents. - Helped deliver historic federal budget investments for early education programs and Head Start. - Authored legislation supporting campus childcare centers for student parents and youth in foster care. _No Republican nominee_ ### Voting Rights and Democracy Salience: medium **Katherine Clark:** Supports expanding voting protections and government ethics reform Clark supports comprehensive federal legislation to eliminate voter suppression, ban racial gerrymandering, and reduce corporate money in political campaigns. She opposes strict documentary citizenship requirements for voter registration and pledges oversight over executive branch actions. - Championed House passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the For the People Act. - Voted against the SAVE Act's mandatory documentary proof of citizenship requirements for federal voter registration. - Pledges oversight on executive actions regarding immigration enforcement and presidential conflicts of interest. > “The right to vote is the most sacred tools of our democracy.” > — Katherine Clark, via [Campaign site](https://katherineclark.org) _No Republican nominee_ ### Climate Change and Energy Salience: medium **Katherine Clark:** Supports clean energy investment and holding polluters accountable Clark advocates for green infrastructure investments, public transit expansion, and clean energy transition centered on environmental justice. She supports shifting the financial costs of waste and recycling away from municipalities and onto corporate polluters. - Supported the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to replace lead service lines and expand public transit. - Introduced legislation to reduce plastic production and hold corporate polluters financially responsible for recycling costs. > “We have a fundamental responsibility to future generations to protect our planet, invest in clean energy, and center environmental justice in all of our policies.” > — Katherine Clark, via [Campaign site](https://katherineclark.org) _No Republican nominee_ ### Gun Safety Salience: medium **Katherine Clark:** Supports assault weapon bans and universal background checks Clark supports strict federal firearm legislation, including closing background check loopholes and banning assault weapons. She has taken a prominent protest role in Congress to demand votes on gun safety legislation. - Partnered with Representative John Lewis to co-lead the historic House floor sit-in demanding votes on gun reform. - Voted in favor of universal background checks and federal bans on assault weapons. > “Too many Americans live in fear of gun violence.” > — Katherine Clark, via [Campaign site](https://katherineclark.org) _No Republican nominee_ ### Immigration and Foreign Policy Salience: low **Katherine Clark:** Opposes restrictive detention laws and unauthorized foreign conflict Clark opposes broad Republican immigration enforcement and detention measures, favoring targeted regulations and oversight over enforcement agencies. In foreign affairs, she opposes military engagements that trigger broader conflicts and raise domestic cost burdens. - Voted against the Laken Riley Act, the Secure the Border Act, and DUI-based deportation legislation. - Advocates ending unauthorized foreign conflicts that increase domestic fuel and economic pressures. _No Republican nominee_ ## Polls and markets _Updated Oct 31._ - [Polymarket](https://polymarket.com/event/ma-05-house-election-winner) — MA-05 House Election Winner: Democrats 97.0%, Republicans 1.7% - [Kalshi](https://kalshi.com/events/KXHOUSERACE-MA05-26) — MA-05 House winner?: Katherine Clark 95.7%, Republicans 2.0% - [Kalshi](https://kalshi.com/events/KXMA05D-26) — MA-05 Democratic nominee?: Katherine Clark 99.9%, Jonathan Paz 0.1%, Tarik Samman 0.1% [View this race on 2026election.com](https://www.2026election.com/race/2026-house-ma-05)