MA-05: No. 2 House Democrat Katherine Clark gets primary challenger

[RandySF]

Massachusetts Rep. Katherine Clark, the No. 2 House Democratic leader, will face a challenge from the left in 2026.

Jonathan Paz, an organizer and former Waltham city councilor, announced his campaign against Clark, the Democratic whip, in a video posted late Sunday night emphasizing the need to “rebuild” the Democratic party.

“I’m challenging one of the most powerful Democrats in the House because we need new leadership,” said Paz, whose family immigrated from Bolivia. “Let’s just call it what it is: our Democratic leaders are failing us. They’re not stopping Trump. They’re not making life more affordable. They’re not building a party for the working class.”

Paz, who served for four years on the Waltham City Council, more recently founded Fuerza, a volunteer group that responds to ongoing Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests in the region.



https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/12/15/congress/katherine-clark-primary-00690707

[W_HAMILTON]

1. Katherine Clark is new leadership and if this person thinks...

...a member of the minority party in the House can """stop Trump,""" he doesn't have even a basic understanding of the job he wants to compete for.

[SSJVegeta]

2. Competition is healthy.

[appmanga]

3. I think we may see more challenges to incumbents...

...and while there's some danger in that, there's a perception that the leadership is too passive, too old, and too cozy with the same monied interests as the Republicans. The Republicans will welcome any chance they can get to have next cycle come down to culture war stuff and not policy.