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Rep. Katherine Clark of Massachusetts officially announced her bid for majority leader in a letter to colleagues Thursday.

Clark, currently the No. 2 to Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, is widely considered a shoo-in among her colleagues. She is currently unopposed, and if she wins, she would be the first woman with the title and most progressive member of the top leadership trio that is also expected to include Jeffries as speaker and Rep. Pete Aguilar as whip.

As Revere Representative Katherine Clark stepped up to address a room of roughly four dozen volunteers in one of Pennsylvania’s purplest suburbs one week before Election Day, she opened with a question: “Are you ready to win?”

It’s hard to believe Clark or any of the cheering supporters could fathom in that moment the magnitude of the victory that indeed came to pass on Tuesday.

Representative Katherine M. Clark of Massachusetts, the No. 2 House Democrat, is set to become the majority leader in January, after her party won control of the chamber.

Ms. Clark, 63, a quiet, progressive power player in Congress, would make history as the first woman to hold that role, though Representative Nancy Pelosi broke a higher glass ceiling in 2007 when she became the first woman to be speaker.

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.

Massachusetts Congresswoman Katherine Clark, the second most powerful House Democrat, is poised to help lead a sizable Democratic majority next session. Clark ran uncontested in the general election and is returning to the House for her eighth term. She joined WBUR’s Morning Edition to discuss the road ahead for her party.

Below are highlights from their conversation, which have been lightly edited.

Interview Highlights

On her top short-term goal for next year, when Democrats take control of the House…

During Tuesday’s much-anticipated midterm elections, West Coast polls were just starting to close when media outlets like CNN and NBC began to project control of the U.S. House of Representatives would flip to Democrats. While final counts are still pending, eyes have already begun to turn to January’s leadership elections within the party, in which current House Minority Whip Katherine Clark is poised to become the first woman to serve as House majority leader.

Election Night saw plenty of history making across the country, and some milestones are still to be set.

With Democrats taking the US House, Massachusetts’ own Katherine Clark is poised to become the next House majority leader — the first woman ever to hold the role.

The progressive lawmaker has been on the rise over the last decade or so. As second-in-command, the Revere Democrat will hold an important leadership role under Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who’s expected to be elected as the first Black House Speaker when the new Congressional term starts in January.