Katherine Clark

Katherine Clark is an American politician and attorney serving as the U.S. Representative for Massachusetts's 5th congressional district since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, she has risen through the House Democratic Caucus leadership ranks, serving as Assistant Speaker from 2021 to 2023 before being elected House Minority Whip in the 118th United States Congress. Her district includes many of the Boston suburbs north and west of the city.

Early life and education

Katherine Marlea Clark was born in New Haven, Connecticut, and grew up in West Haven, Connecticut. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in government and history from St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York. Clark subsequently attended Cornell University, where she received a Master of Public Administration from the Cornell Institute for Public Affairs. She then earned a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School, where she was a member of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau.

Early career

Before entering electoral politics, Clark worked as a public interest attorney and served in various government roles. She was a trial attorney for the Committee for Public Counsel Services, Massachusetts's public defender agency. Clark later served as general counsel for the Massachusetts Office of Child Care Services and as a senior advisor to the Massachusetts Attorney General, Tom Reilly. Her entry into elected office began with a successful campaign for the Melrose School Committee, followed by service on the Melrose Board of Aldermen. She was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 2008 and then to the Massachusetts Senate in a 2010 special election, representing the Middlesex and Essex district.

U.S. House of Representatives

Clark first won election to the United States House of Representatives in a 2013 special election to succeed Ed Markey, who had been elected to the United States Senate. She took office in December 2013. In the 116th United States Congress, she was elected Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus. Following the 2020 elections, she was selected by her colleagues to serve as Assistant Speaker under Speaker Nancy Pelosi, becoming the second-highest ranking woman in House Democratic leadership at the time. After the 2022 elections, she was elected House Minority Whip for the 118th United States Congress. She serves on the House Appropriations Committee and the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress.

Political positions

Clark is a progressive Democrat whose legislative focus includes issues related to child care, paid family leave, gun violence prevention, and reproductive rights. She was a lead sponsor of the Child Care for Working Families Act and has advocated for the expansion of the Child Tax Credit. She supports the Green New Deal and ambitious action on climate change. Clark is a strong supporter of LGBTQ rights and voted for the Equality Act. She has been a vocal critic of the Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization and has co-sponsored legislation to codify the right to an abortion. On foreign policy, she is a supporter of Israel and voted for the Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024.

Electoral history

Clark won the 2013 special Democratic primary with 32% of the vote in a crowded field that included several state legislators. She won the subsequent special general election decisively. She has been re-elected every two years since by wide margins in the heavily Democratic district. In the 2022 election, she defeated her Republican opponent with over 73% of the vote. She ran unopposed in the 2024 Democratic primary.

Category:1963 births Category:Living people Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts Category:Harvard Law School alumni