He is not exactly Paz, also known as the Pazmanian Devil.

That would be boxer Vinny Paz  or Vinny Pazienza, a tough fighter out of Rhode Island who in the eighties and nineties fought his way to the top of the fight game, earning two championship titles.

Paz was so tough that he was called the Pazmanian Devil because in the ring he fought with the fierce and fearless tenacity of the Tasmanian Devil, a carnivorous marsupial, that roams the island of Tasmania off the Australian Coast.

Paz fought 60 fights, winning 50, 30 by knockout. He was so tough that he made a comeback after wearing a screwed-on neck Halo for three months following a neck breaking car crash.

But no. Our Paz is no relation to Paz, the Pazmanian Devil.

Our Paz is Jonathan Paz, a former Waltham city councilor who is running in the upcoming Democrat primary against incumbent fellow Democrat U.S. Rep Katherine Clark, 64, of Revere in the 5th Congressional District.

For openers, if Jonathan Paz, who is to the left of Clark (if that is possible) has any chance of defeating the veteran Clark, he will have to fight the way the Pazmanian Devil fought, which is ferociously, holding nothing back.

Born in Boston, our Paz spent his early years in Bolivia, where his parents came from, retuning to Massachusetts as a child.  He recalls his father being deported and as an adult, he has been active in protecting immigrants from ICE deportation raids.

Now he has a tall and possibly impossible task in front of him.

But who knows? It is early in the 2026 mid-term election. Anything can happen in these political volatile times as New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani can attest.

And it has been years since Clark, a one-time member of the Massachusetts Legislature, has faced a serious challenge since assuming the Congressional seat in 2013.

That was when she won a special election to fill the U.S. House seat  vacated by then Rep. Eddie Markey who was running for the U.S. Senate to replace the replace John Kerry upon Kerry’s appointment as Secretary of State.

Clark, then a relatively unknown member of the Massachusetts state Senate, beat out Middlesex County Sheriff Peter Koutoujian and fellow state Sen. Karen Spilka, now Senate president, in the Democrat primary. She has been re-elected ever since.

The district borders the North Shore’ 6th Congressional district where another Democrat primary is shaping up to replace Rep. Seth Moulton of Salem. Moulton is running against Markey for the U.S. Senate in the Democrat primary.

Clark’s 5th district includes some 22 communities, mostly in Middlesex County. They include Waltham, Watertown, Medford, Malden, Melrose, Arlington and Lexington.

While not ignoring her constituents, Clark has successfully played the inside political game in the House by attaching herself to the Democrat Party leadership, first with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and then to Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York.

She has now risen to the point that she is second in command to Jeffries.

Interestingly, Jeffries also faced a primary challenge from the left from one-time Mamdani ally Chi Osse, a New York City Councilman. However, Osse pulled out of the race as a favor to Jeffries after Mamdani abandoned him.

There is a lot at stake for Clark—and for Massachusetts.

Should the Democrats takeover the House in 2026, which is possible, Jeffries would become Speaker of the House and Clark would become majority leader and be in a direct successor to Jeffries as Speaker.

The last Speaker of the House from Massachusetts was House Speaker Thomas P. “Tip” O’Neill (1977-1987) of Cambridge.

He was a powerful figure in Washington for many years and did a lot for the state. Despite his national importance, he never forgot where he came from or the people he represented.

He coined the phrase, “All politics is local.”

Clark will need to remember that.

Veteran political reporter Peter Lucas can be reached at: peter.lucas@bostonherald.com. 

Jonathan Paz (Courtesy Paz campaign)