Democrat Katherine Clark will become the fifth woman to represent Massachusetts in the US House Tuesday, after easily defeating three opponents in a special election.
“Six years ago, there wasn’t a single woman representing Massachusetts in Congress,” said Niki Tsongas, the only other woman representing Massachusetts in the House. “As Katherine Clark joins me in the House of Representatives this week, Massachusetts gains another strong voice to its increasingly diverse Congressional delegation.”
Clark, a former public interest attorney, ran because she was “tired of extremist Republicans attacking a woman’s right to make her own health care decisions instead of focusing on the issues that really matter to middle class families,” according to her campaign website. Clark plans to focus on a variety of issues, including equal pay for equal work, minimum wage, education, gun safety, and retirement security.
Her seat in Massachusetts’ 5th Congressional District was vacated when US Representative Edward Markey won a special election to fill the Senate seat John Kerry left to become secretary of state. Clark will complete the remainder of Markey’s term and then face re-election next fall.
Media Resources: Associated Press 12/11/13; Katherine Clark for Congress
