From the Katherine Clark campaign, Oct. 3: Former state Sen. Susan Fargo endorsed Katherine Clark for Congress in the special Democratic primary to be held Oct. 15. Fargo represented the 5th Congressional District towns of Waltham, Weston, Lincoln and parts of Lexington and Sudbury as a state senator.

“Katherine has spent her entire career fighting for women and families,” said Fargo, of Lincoln, who represented the 3rd Middlesex District for 16 years. “I worked side by side with her when I was in the state senate, and as a former teacher I admire Katherine’s dedication to improving education for every student, particularly her passion for early literacy. I know Katherine will be a tireless advocate for progressive values and she will take on extremists at every turn to stand up for us.”

Clark has worked to improve access to quality, affordable education and child care for all families and wrote a key 2012 law, co-sponsored by Fargo, that takes steps to ensure that Massachusetts students are reading at grade level by third grade – which studies show make students more likely to graduate from college and achieve prosperity as adults. Investing in early education will be a priority for Clark in Congress and is a key part of her Pledge to Women and Families.

“I’m honored to have the endorsement of a great legislator like Susan Fargo, who worked diligently for the people of Massachusetts,” Clark said. “In Congress, I’ll do the same for the 24 cities and towns in the 5th Congressional District to secure pay equity for women, reduce gun violence in our communities and keep our promises to seniors.”