Mass. Election 2026: Live results for 5th District U.S. House
Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark, of Revere, is facing two challengers this Primary Day, Sept. 1 in Massachusetts.
In the running to unseat Clark are fellow Democrats Tarik Samman, of Cambridge, and Jonathan Paz, of Waltham.
Clark, who has represented Massachusetts’ Fifth District in Congress since 2013, is one of only two women to ever serve as Democratic Whip. She is currently the highest-ranking woman in Congress, according to her biography.
On her campaign website, Clark highlights efforts to lower the cost of living by fighting cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, and ending the Iran war. She also pledges to lead Democrats in cracking down on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Prior to heading to D.C., Clark was a state senator, state representative and member of the Melrose School Committee. She also served as general counsel for the state’s Office of Child Care Services and as policy chief for the Massachusetts Attorney General.
Samman is a union organizer and researcher at Harvard Law School who was born in Massachusetts and returned to Syria with his immigrant family after 9/11.
On his campaign website, he details surviving the Syrian Civil War in Damascus before coming back to the U.S. and his home state more than 10 years later.
“Tarik believes our government must rethink its priorities,” his website says. “Instead of spending billions on endless wars abroad that have drained our economy, we should invest those resources in the needs of American families by expanding access to healthcare, improving public education, lowering the cost of childcare, eldercare, and housing, modernizing infrastructure, and creating an economy that works for everyone.”
Paz’s campaign website leads with a narrative about being 14 years old and watching his father be detained and deported. A son of Bolivian immigrants and avid ICE protester, Paz was elected as a Waltham city councilor in 2019 and unsuccessfully ran for mayor in 2023.
“Over the past year, Jonathan has focused on immigration defense during ICE raids across Massachusetts, helping launch an immigration defense hub in Waltham and raising thousands for emergency support,” Paz’s website reads.
He highlights his efforts to champion the labor movement and stand up to “Big Tech.”
The 5th District includes:
Middlesex County: Arlington, Bedford (part), Belmont, Cambridge (part), Framingham, Lexington, Lincoln, Malden, Maynard, Medford, Melrose, Natick, Stoneham, Sudbury, Waltham, Watertown, Wayland, Weston, Winchester, Woburn
Norfolk County: Wellesley (part)