The “blue wave” of Democrats taking the majority in both chambers of Congress could make soon make Rep. Katherine Clark one of the most powerful people in Washington.
Clark, who ran uncontested in her reelection bid in District 5 and is currently the House Democratic Whip, is poised to likely become House Majority Leader. She would be the first woman to have that role.
Speaking after the Democrats’ sweeping victories, Clark talked about the stories of everyday Americans who have struggled with high costs.
“Their stories are what are going to propel us forward,” Clark said. “And we are proud of the Democrats who have won tonight. But we are so proud when we are gonna be able, on January 3, to get to work for them.”
Peter Ubertaccio, a political scientist at Stonehill College, said Clark’s chances of becoming majority leader are about as excellent as one could imagine.
“When your party is as successful as it was last night, there’s no real reason for party members to consider dispensing with their leadership,” he said.
Ubertaccio said Clark has developed a reputation around her thoughtfulness, attentiveness and organizational skills. And while it’s not automatic that Clark gets the role, he said there’s every reason to believe that Democrats will line up behind her and other party leaders after the performance in the midterm elections.
“It’s pretty rare to see popular leaders like Katherine Clark seriously challenged for [a] leadership position,” Ubertaccio said.
If she gets the role, Clark would be second to only the Speaker of the House, a role likely to be filled by current minority leader Hakeem Jeffries. Ubertaccio said the skills Clark has honed as Whip would help her, although she would be taking on a much more expansive role.
But he said the next two years will be a challenge for Democrats in both the House and Senate, with President Donald Trump already gearing up to use his veto power.
“Her challenge is twofold: Keep your caucus together and that is always a challenge ... But then do so when the president is of a different party,” Ubertaccio said. “And so the compromises that you may have to make in order to get a president to not veto a bill, if that’s the goal, is going to test the allegiance of your party members.”
Erin O’Brien, political scientist at UMass Boston, said being number two in the majority party comes with much more control than being in the minority. And she pointed out that having a person in such a high-ranking position could bode well for Massachusetts.
“There’s a lot of national players in Massachusetts politics, and Katherine Clark has quietly ascended to an important role,” she said.
