Issue Statements
What does Senator Susan Collins have to say? Today marks the expiration of the last NUCLEAR ARMS CONTROL treaty between the US and Russia. Leaving both nations with no limits on the size or structure of their arsenals for the first time since 1972; at the very moment both are planning new generations of nuclear weapons and delivery systems. And frighteningly, at a time when our anti-immigration and self-dealing and promotion crazed presidential administration is focused elsewhere. Along with addressing America’s unsolved affordability challenges – (which could be addressed by enacting Medicare for all and universal childcare, and investing more in retirement security, education, and housing, and funding these efforts via increased taxes on the wealthy) – we need the Trump Administration to prioritize nuclear disarmament negotiations and agreements. Adding more, particularly non-recallable missiles, to ours’s and our potential adversaries’ (Russia, China and North Korea) nuclear arsenals, as is currently underway, is not the sanest way forward. We should instead, along with our allies (UK and France) and other nuclear powers (India, Pakistan and Isreal), be working to advance global disarmament treaties that center on replacing the concept of mutually assured destruction (MAD) with that of minimally assured deterrence (i.e., the idea of nuclear armed nations’ having just enough nuclear weapons to deter advisories, but nowhere near enough collectively to wipe out humanity)... And while they’re at, the world’s nuclear powers should also consider doing a lot more to mitigate humanities' other potential existential threats: climate change and unconstrained artificial intelligence (AI)...
What does Senator Collins have to say? MONEY has forever had a corrupting influence on American politics and government and its deleterious impact has never been more evident than is the case today. It poisons our democracy in that it obliterates political equality, a fundamental tenant of democracy, by drowning out ordinary voices and skewing government actions in favor of wealthy individuals and corporations and eroding the public’s trust in government. One only needs to see evidence of the recent flood of super PAC spending and “dark money” to understand the harmful extent to which money, and money funded mis- and dis-information, has over our politics and government. To remedy this situation, we should ratify the “For Our Freedom Amendment,” which would allow Congress and the states to lessen the influence of excessive “dark” and other campaign funding; establish a public financing program for US House and Senate campaigns; and create an independent, nonpartisan Federal Elections and Ethics Commission with strong oversight and enforcement authority to oversee elections, governmental ethics, and campaign financing. Additionally, aside from tackling the corrupting influence of money, we should also consider other elections related reforms, like: modernizing our nation’s voting infrastructure; mandating automatic voter registration, early voting, and no-excuse voting by mail; banning unreasonable voter purges, deceptive politicking, and partisan gerrymandering; expanding civics education mandates and programs; funding journalistically ethical, non-profit news organizations; and enacting social media regulations that oblige social media platforms to adhere to strict privacy, anti-violence incitement, and fact-based public interest information rules. It’s well past time that we did more, a lot more to fix our imperfect democracy and government...
If they weren’t so potentially damaging to our reputation and physical and economic security, President Trump’s comments and actions regarding Canada, Greenland, and Latin America would be considered laughable. These senseless diplomatic, military, and economic threats and actions only benefit global bad actors, like Putin and Russia. We should be strengthening, not weakening our military and economic alliances and relationships around the world, especially with the world’s democracies in the Americas, Europe (EU/NATO), and Asia (India, Japan, S. Korea, and the Philippines). The President’s chaotic approach to world affairs is looking more like “America Alone,” than “America First” or “America the Great, Again" ... Senator Susan Collins, and her GOP colleagues, need to muster more backbone to mitigate such nonsensical and dangerous comments and behavior.
Senator Susan Collins and her GOP colleagues need to do more, a lot more, to reign-in the Trump administration’s unjust and counterproductive anti-immigration practices. No one is opposed to arresting criminals, whether they’re immigrants to the United States or natural born citizens, and virtually all Americans oppose illegal immigration. Also, most Americans, realize that legal immigration is good for our economy and country and have supported comprehensive immigration reform (including more resources to better secure our borders) for decades. What most American’s don’t support are the secret police-state style tactics being utilized by the Trump Administration to scare and round-up immigrants (legal and otherwise) and to demonize them and any Americans protesting the use of such unnecessary and un-American tactics. Dealing with illegal immigration appropriately, like many other world-at-large challenges, is complicated and will require both national and multi-national solutions. Instead of overstating the negative impact of immigration and immigrants to distract attention, score political points, and accrue more power - the Trump Administration and GOP Congress should focus on comprehensive immigration reforms (like the bipartisan Gang of Eight styled reforms of 2013); including increasing, not decreasing, support for international efforts to stabilize countries in crisis so that residents aren’t compelled to leave.
Opening a criminal investigation regarding Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s June testimony to Congress is just another unprecedented and dangerous act of intimidation (and weaponization of the Justice Department) undertaken by the Trump Administration. If Congress has questions or issues regarding Fed testimony, Congress should and can investigate. This threat of criminal charges is a consequence of the “independent” Fed not bending to President Trump’s ill-advised and precarious economic whims. Senator Susan Collins and her GOP colleagues must do more, considerably more, to reign in the Trump Administration’s damaging assaults on our nation’s economic and scientific experts and expertise.
Friends, We’ve begun collecting signatures to place my name on Maine’s June Democratic primary ballot and we’re seeking your help. The signature collection process is straightforward. Any individual in Maine can collect signatures and any registered Democrat in Maine can sign a petition. If you’re interested in helping, we’ll provide you with blank 8.5-inch by 14-inch petition forms and simply ask that you ask your friends, neighbors, and/or others, who are registered Democrats in Maine, if they’d be willing to sign the petition. Signing the petition in no way commits the signer to supporting or voting for me. It simply allows us to petition the State to have my name added to Maine’s June primary ballot. We need to collect 2,000 signatures by March 16, 2026, to qualify. There are any number of ways and places or events to collect signatures, and we can provide you with suggestions and information. By way of example, my grandmother collected more than 200 signatures (in 2001) by simply keeping a petition form in her purse and asking friends to sign the petition as she went about her daily activities. If you are interested in helping, please let us know by emailing us at campaign@costelloforsenate.com. Thank you and best, David
Senior presidential aide Stephen Miller and President Trump are wrong. There is no justification for American imperialism (i.e., the extension of America’s power and influence in the world through coercion or force), nor imperialism exercised by any other nation. The world’s colonial powers realized this more than half a century ago. US Government actions that run counter to American and international law and ideals, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, will only weaken our nation’s long-term economic and physical security. It’s absurd and dangerous to think the United States, or any country, Russia and China included, has the right to forcefully take over any other territory or country (including Greenland, Taiwan, or Ukraine). Senator Susan Collins and her colleagues need to reign in the mis-guided imperial aims of the Trump Administration before they further damage our country’s standing in the world. If the Administration truly wants to bolster our long-term economic and physical security it should strengthen, not continue to weaken, America’s foreign policy and foreign aid agencies. Boost our international competitiveness by increasing, not decreasing, investment in transportation, energy, and communications infrastructure, and scientific research and development. Negotiate smart, fair, and comprehensive trade agreements that include a global minimum corporate tax and enhanced labor and environmental protections, not rely on shortsighted, debilitating trade tariffs. And prioritize the enactment of far-reaching international nuclear and conventional arms control agreements. Only by becoming more fully, intelligently, and responsibly engaged in world affairs, not less so, is the USA likely to become more secure and prosperous.
My FB comments yesterday regarding Venezuela were not meant as an endorsement of what the Trump Administration has done (or is doing) in Venezuela, but largely criticisms in the form of a couple of brief statements (including one that was anti-Maduro) and questions regarding where we go from here... I 100% support the establishment of a legitimate, democratically elected government in Venezuela; not a puppet regime largely designed to enrich petroleum interests in Venezuela, the USA, and elsewhere (see yesterday’s comments). Having worked promoting peace and democracy in conflict/post conflict countries (e.g., Cambodia, Haiti, Bosnia, Kosovo and Serbia), I’ve seen first-hand the gut-wrenching harm and oppression doled out by ruthless dictators and war lords, and I know how difficult it is to establish genuine democracies in which the citizenry is free, politically equal, and prosperous... Moreover, I understand how imperfect our own democracy is, and that is why, in large part, I am running for the US Senate to substantially strengthen our weak checks and balances system to better ensure that no president or presidential administration acts illegally (either domestically or abroad)...
Even though the Trump Administration vastly overstated Nicolas Maduro’s threat to the United States and the American people, Maduro was a ruthless thug dictator, and Venezuela’s and the interests of the United States are likely better off with him behind bars. The challenge now regarding Venezuela, is what comes next. Will the Trump Administration be satisfied with simply working with more compliant, Administration friendly Venezuelan thugs - as appears likely - or is it interested in backing and working with legitimate, democratically elected Venezuelan leaders? The long-suffering people of Venezuela deserve no less. Unfortunately, I suspect that President Trump, given his fondness for ruthless authoritarians (e.g., Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong-Un, and Xi Jinping) will be content to work with any Venezuelan “strongman” who’s willing to accept most of the Administration’s dictates and considerable American control over Venezuela’s petroleum reserves (i.e., contemporary gunboat diplomacy). Regardless, it’s important that we (i.e., the US Congress, Press, and American people) not become too distracted by or bogged down in Venezuela, given our nation’s other pressing concerns, like affordable housing, childcare, and healthcare, and job and retirement security.
Affordable, comprehensive, quality HEALTH CARE, is a right, not a privilege... Health insurance premiums are spiking for millions of Americans and thousands of Mainers with the expiration of Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) subsidies for low-income enrollees. This needless surge in prices is coming at a time when overall costs for health care, housing, groceries, and electricity are rising because of nonsensical tariffs and other economic missteps by the Trump Administration. Band-aid fixes like those being advanced by Senator Collins, will never be sufficient, nor will they ever be as economically sound or as beneficial as what all other industrial nations are doing. That is guaranteeing affordable, quality healthcare for ALL citizens via national health insurance and health care systems like Medicare.
While not perfect men, nor perfect leaders, John F. Kennedy and his brothers Robert and Edward were smart, compassionate, and optimistic public servants who sought a better nation and world and dedicated their lives to helping those less fortunate. In many ways their ideals and public actions stand in sharp contrast with those of President Trump, whose obsession with self-aggrandizement imperils much else. I was inspired to drop out of college (UMaine) at the age of nineteen and honored to work for Senator Edward Kennedy, who did much to champion his brothers’ worthy causes (e.g., universal health and child-care; human, civil, and women’s rights; nuclear disarmament; expanded education and affordable housing programs; gun safety; and international peace and development). And I am – to say the least – disappointed to see that some consider it fitting to place President Trump’s name on John F. Kennedy’s living memorial in Washington, DC.
Where a politician comes from and how they were raised provides voters with a good sense of what they’re likely to care about and how they’re likely to perform, if elected. My upbringing and subsequent policy focus can be summed up as follows: Four of the six homes that I grew up in non-longer exist (i.e., they’ve either been torn down or carted away). My father an Army veteran and labor organizer died at the age of thirty-one because of hazardous work he did as a teenager. We, my twenty-seven-year-old widowed mother and three siblings and I, were able to make ends meet, and I was ultimately able to do well because of a loving family, hard work, and sound government assistance, and grant and loan programs. As a result, I’ve always supported Medicare for All and universal childcare initiatives; expanded Social Security protections and payments; enlarged nutrition, education, and housing assistance programs; establishment of a national living wage; extended worker safeguards and benefits; stronger environmental protections; and increased taxes on the wealthy to ensure adequate public resources and fiscal stability. And - - I’m running for the US Senate today to ensure that ALL Mainers have the same, if not better, opportunities to thrive that I had...
While I believe Senator King made a mistake in voting in favor of the GOP Congress’s recent continuing resolution (CR), I think he’s spot-on in his assessment of the Trump Administration’s efforts to strong arm Ukraine into accepting an unacceptable “peace” agreement. Senator King is right to compare the Administration’s proposed 28-point plan to UK Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s notorious 1938 Munich agreement with Adolf Hitler. So much of what President Trump has said and done regarding Russia’s unprovoked, criminal, and immoral invasion of Ukraine is wrong. I can only hope that our shrewder and more courageous European allies and the handful of GOP senators with a spine can convince the President that the only way to ensure peace in Ukraine (and Europe) is to place more pressure on Russia, not Ukraine!
No Kings Rally Remarks – Portland, Maine Good afternoon. This isn’t 1776, but given the Trump Administration’s growing authoritarian attacks on our rights and freedoms, it sure feels like it.
To Win in 2026 Democrats Would Do Well to Unite and Support Real Change Sep 25, 2025 While it’s true that there are differences within the Democratic Party, it’s wrong, as some claim, to describe the Party as part of the same “corporate apparatus” as the Republican Party. The differences between the parties — and the core beliefs of their members — are undeniable.
Democratic U.S. Senate Candidate David Costello Urges No Vote on Question 1 and Yes on Question 2 in November BRUNSWICK (Sept. 25, 2025) -- Democratic U.S. Senate candidate David Costello will vote NO on Referendum Question 1 and YES on Referendum Question 2 in November and urged Maine voters to do the same. The two referendum questions will appear on Maine's Nov. 4 state-wide election ballot.
USAID, A Detrimental and Unwarranted Demise The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) ceased to exist on July 1, 2025, and its reckless and senseless demise will likely haunt American foreign policy and global interests for years to come. Created by President John F. Kennedy, USAID was an agency that for more than 60 years bolstered America’s reputation, influence, and interests abroad by providing needed humanitarian, economic, and political development assistance. Like hundreds of other dedicated Americans, I was proud to work for USAID in the 1990s and early 2000s. My work, in largely dangerous locations, centered on promoting peace, democracy, and economic stability in such conflict-ravaged countries as Cambodia, Haiti, Bosnia, and Kosovo. In Haiti, we worked closely with the U.S. Army to implement more than 2,000 community improvement projects, from the drilling of wells to the construction of schools and clinics. In the Bosnia, I established the first U.S. government office in the then sharply anti-American Republika Srpska and ultimately worked regionally with U.S. and NATO militaries, and European diplomats and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), to implement more than 2,300 peace-building projects. Projects that, working with courageous local partners, undermined hateful nationalist propaganda, organizations, and objectives. In all instances, our work stabilized communities and countries, saved countless lives and mitigated the migration of thousands of refugees. And although, as is the case with all government agencies, there was room for improvement at USAID, the agency and the vast majority of its vital programs did not deserve to be dismantled. I’m running for the United States Senate today, in part, to help resurrect the critical work of USAID and other essential agencies and improve the standing and performance of our federal government, both at home in the U.S. and abroad. America has always been a great nation, yet it’s been at best when it’s been fully, intelligently, and benevolently engaged in world affairs. The Trump Administration’s current approach is not promising. And, while it might have been a bit overstated, I agree with the sentiment that Senator John McCain shared when visiting us in Cambodia in 1993. That we, and, by extension USAID, were “doing God’s work.” David Costello Democratic Candidate for the U.S. Senate from Maine in 2026
Big, Beautiful (Disastrous) Bill Comments/Posts Not surprisingly, given that 1 in 4 families in Maine will be harmed, Senator Collins was given a pass by the Trump WH and GOP leadership to vote against the GOP’s debt-exploding and safety-net slashing “Big, Beautiful Bill.” A disastrous bill, that prioritizes massive tax breaks for the wealthy over the wellbeing of countless Americans, and legislation that she had a moral obligation to fight with every tool at her disposal, including her professed senatorial power and seniority. While I’ve suggested that Senator Susan Collins do a lot more than merely express concern, propose tweaks, or cast a hesitant vote against the Trump Administration and GOP Congress’s disastrous “Big, Beautiful Bill.” I suspect she’ll do what’s she’s generally done over the past 28 years in the U.S. Senate – just enough to appear reasonable and somewhat independent - but not enough to make a real difference. If you, like me, believe it’s well past time we made a real difference in Washington, please share this email with others and consider signing on to our campaign at costelloforsenate.com to help in defeating Senator Collins and begin the hard work of fixing our imperfect and terribly broken federal government. Senator Susan Collins must do far more than merely express concern, propose tweaks, or cast a hesitant vote against the Trump Administration and GOP Congress’s disastrous “Big, Beautiful Bill.” This deficit-ballooning, wealth-favoring monstrosity of a budget reconciliation bill is a direct attack on Maine’s working families, the safety net that sustains vulnerable Americans, and the clean economy jobs that our future depends on. Collins has a moral obligation to fight with every tool at her disposal to stop this harmful legislation. Anything less than full-throated opposition would make her complicit in a scheme that prioritizes massive tax breaks for the wealthy over the wellbeing of countless Mainers and Americans. Senator Collins, it is time to stand up, not waver.
David Costello to seek Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate BRUNSWICK – David Costello, who was the Democratic Party’s nominee for the U.S. Senate from Maine in 2024 has entered the race to challenge Senator Susan Collins in 2026. Costello has extensive experience in senior-level state, local, and federal government administration, including high-level positions at USAID,
OPINION: TRUMP AGENDA NOT REALLY ABOUT WASTE, FRAUD AND ABUSE To say that many of the actions being undertaken by the Trump administration are unprecedented and perilous is an understatement. No presidential administration has ever done so much that is so wrong in such a short span of time that it’s almost impossible to determine where to begin to push back or what to focus on.
WHY I'M RUNNING FOR THE US SENATE September 10, 2024 My first taste of politics was on picket lines as a boy as my father, an Army veteran, and grandparents struck for better wages and benefits at a grocery store in Bangor and a shoe mill in Old Town.
DEMOCRATIC U.S. SENATE CANDIDATE DAVID COSTELLO URGES SUPPORT FOR LONG-OVERDUE REFORMS TO END CONGRESSIONAL DYSFUNCTION AND TACKLE OUR NATION'S MOST PRESSING PROBLEMS BANGOR, Maine – (On Friday, May 31st, at 7 pm. ET) In an address to Maine Democrats, U.S. Senate candidate David Costello urged fellow Democrats to back “long-overdue” legislative and constitutional reforms to better protect personal rights and freedoms and more effectively tackle such pressing problems as climate change, escalating gun violence, economic inequality, unaffordable housing and healthcare, and insufficient retirement security. Costello said “What clearly isn’t working in Washington, is doing more of the same. Fighting over a half-dozen House and Senate seats, when substantive systems reform is what is really needed.” Costello’s speech hit on a lot of points such as: his formative years, his qualifications and experience, and how he would strive to advance sound reforms and policies to end dysfunction in Washington and ensure that all Americans are provided with the security, education, job skills, and other life enriching to thrive.
DEMOCRATIC U.S. SENATE CANDIDATE DAVID COSTELLO ISSUES STATEMENT ON GAZA Brunswick, ME – Democratic U.S. Senate Candidate David Costello issued a statement today in support of efforts to press the Netanyahu government to comply more fully with the Biden Administration’s humanitarian aid, cease-fire, and political settlement requests. Costello stated that “Hamas’s horrific assault on October 7 was wholly unjustified and Israel had every right, and indeed an obligation, to respond forcefully. No terrorist action, nor attacks from allied parties, like Hezbollah and Iran, should ever go unanswered. However, from the beginning, Israel’s military response in Gaza has been excessive and much of it indefensible. Instead of strategically and precisely focusing on the return of hostages and the eradication of Hamas as a military and political entity, Israel’s disproportionate actions have resulted in the wholesale and counterproductive destruction of much of Gaza and the deaths and deprivation of untold thousands of innocent Palestinians. President Biden, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and many others are correct to question the motives and detrimental decisions of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing allies. Decisions that have not contributed effectively to the release of Israeli and American hostages and have resulted in growing animosity toward Israelis and in making Israel less secure. Criticizing Israel’s recent actions and leadership does not excuse the decades of counterproductive, undemocratic, and often deplorable actions of Palestinian and neighboring Arab leaders but is meant to reinforce the contention that the most constructive if not the only sensible way forward is to establish a durable cease-fire and peace settlement based on a credible two-state, Israel-Palestine solution. To that end, I support, and urge Senators King and Collins to support, efforts to convince the Biden Administration – which has increasingly urged Israel to protect civilians and aid in the provision of critical humanitarian assistance – to pause the transfer of offensive weapons to Israel until the Netanyahu government complies more fully with the Administration’s humanitarian aid, cease-fire, and political settlement requests. Having worked overseas in conflict-torn, authoritarian-ruled countries, I’ve witnessed first-hand the horrors of war and dictatorial rule, and I understand that armed conflict is sometimes necessary to end the harm caused by malevolent actors like Hamas, Al Qaida, ISIS, Balkan nationalists, and Vladimir Putin. Yet, I also appreciate that in almost all instances of armed conflict, innocents are harmed and given this, and the accompanying risk of stoking further extremism and violence, nations must always err on the side of protecting innocent non-combatants.”
IT'S TIME TO FIX WASHINGTON January 17, 2024 We need wholesale change in Congress and constitutional reforms to really create a government representative of and responsive to its citizenry.
MAINE VOICES: TOO HOT TO IGNORE – MUCH MORE ACTION IS NEEDED TO FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE August 17, 2023 We need to immediately develop and implement an aggressive national, science-based climate plan, including a panel that evaluates and reports on our progress and recommends needed adjustments.
DEMOCRATIC SENATE CANDIDATE DAVID COSTELLO SAYS AN ALL THE ABOVE APPROACH WOULD LIKELY WORK BEST TO TACKLE GUN VIOLENCE IN THE UNITED STATES June 26, 2023 Like many Mainers, I grew up learning to hunt and shoot and to handle guns safely and responsibly. I took gun safety very seriously then and, given the long-standing rise in gun violence, I take it even more seriously today.When people talk of gun safety today, hunting, target shooting, and gun ownership are seldom, if ever, really at issue. At issue, is the proliferation in the sale and violent misuse of non-hunting guns and magazines and the counterproductive weakening and rejection of laws designed to reduce gun violence. While I would never support denying responsible, law-abiding citizens their right to own a gun, I do support markedly strengthening our nation’s gun safety laws and regulations. Gun violence is on the rise throughout the United States, and appallingly, since 2020, it has surpassed car accidents as the leading cause of death for American children. The fact that the U.S. House and Senate have done little over the last 30 years to address gun violence is unconscionable. Everything that can be done - from expanded mental health services, stricter gun crime sentencing, and increased community policing to waiting periods, universal background checks, and assault weapons bans – should be done to reduce gun related deaths, injuries, and crime in the United States. To continue to do less is unacceptable.
DEMOCRATIC U.S. SENATE CANDIDATE DAVID COSTELLO URGES SUPPORT FOR TRIBAL SOVEREIGNTY FOR MAINE'S FOUR INDIGENOUS TRIBES June 26, 2023 Brunswick – Democratic Senate Candidate David Costello today released a statement urging support for tribal sovereignty for Maine’s four indigenous tribes. Costello stated, “unlike the Nation’s other 570 federally recognized tribes, Maine’s Penobscot, Maliseet, Mi’kmaq, and Passamaquoddy tribes are unnecessarily and detrimentally excluded from automatically receiving a range of federal health care, economic development, environmental protection, emergency response assistance, and other benefits.” Costello noted that a recent Harvard University study concluded that tribal self-determination and government has contributed to significant economic growth and other benefits for the vast majority of other indigenous tribes in the United States. Additionally, and importantly for many rural towns and villages in Maine, the study also concluded that there were significant spill-over benefits for neighboring non-tribal communities. Costello added that the study found: “Unique to Maine, the federal Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act of 1980 (MICSA) empowers the state government to block the applicability of federal Indian policy in Maine. As a result, the development of the Wabanaki Nations’ economies and governmental capacities have been stunted. Today, all four of the tribes in Maine—Maliseet, Mi’kmaq, Passamaquoddy, and Penobscot—are stark economic underperformers relative to the other tribes in the Lower 48 states. The subjugation of the Wabanaki Nation’s self-governing capacities is blocking economic development to the detriment of both tribal and non- tribal citizens, alike. For the tribal citizens of Maine held down by MICSA’s restrictions, loosening or removing those restrictions offers them little in the way of downside risks and but much in the way of upside payoffs. Importantly, we find in this study that “nowhere to go but up” also applies to the Maine state government and Maine’s non-tribal citizens. From case after case, the pattern that has emerged under federal policies of tribal self-determination through self-government is one in which tribal economic development spills over positively into neighboring non-tribal communities and improves the abilities of state and local governments to serve their citizens.” Costello concluded, “As the study emphasizes, there is ‘nowhere to go but up’ for Maine and Maine communities and thus there is unlikely to be any substantial downside to granting tribal sovereignty to Maine’s four tribes. Moreover, granting Maine's tribes sovereignty is long overdue and the right thing to do both morally and ethically.”
U.S. SENATE CANDIDATE DAVID COSTELLO'S OP-ED June 13, 2023 To Truly Fix Washington, We Must Substantially Overhaul Our Governing Practices and Institutions For generations, we Americans have labored to establish a more just, secure, and prosperous nation. One in which all are treated fairly and all are provided with the opportunity to excel. And while we have made considerable progress over the years, we have yet to establish the kind of more perfect union envisioned by our most thoughtful founders and descendants. We have fallen short, in large part, because our governing infrastructure is as deficient and outdated as many of our roads, ports, and bridges. Partisan gridlock abounds, and our imperfect democracy is in danger of becoming even more flawed. The latest example being Washington’s current battle over the Nation’s debt limit. To fix Washington, we need to do more than simply change who we elect every two to six years. We need to substantially reform our governing practices and institutions, and we need to eliminate the excessive and corrupting influence that money, wealth, and disinformation have over our politics and government. Specifically, we should, in the near term: · Pass the Freedom to Vote Act. · Ban gerrymandering and eliminate the Senate’s filibuster. · Establish an independent Government Accountability and Performance Commission. · Impose term limits and retirement age requirements on federal judges, including Supreme Court justices. · Increase funding for non-partisan public news broadcasting. · Require social media platforms to adhere to reasonable public interest rules. · Ratify the “For Our Freedom Amendment” to better regulate campaign contributions and spending. And, over the longer term: · Abolish the Electoral College and establish a system of directly electing presidents and include ranked choice voting (RCV) when there are more than two candidates. · Restructure the U.S. Senate so that its allocation of power is more in-line with a state’s population. · Overhaul the U.S. House so that it is comprised of non-gerrymandered, multi-winner districts. · Revise the terms and impose 24-year term limits on U.S. senators and representatives. · Streamline the U.S. Constitution’s amendment process so that it is no longer virtually impossible to update our national charter. Specifically, modify the amendment process to require no more than 60% approval from both houses of Congress and ratifying support from states representing 62% or more of the nation’s population. While pursuing and achieving these reforms will not be easy, the potential benefits of doing so — including better-protected rights and freedoms and more adequately addressed problems like climate change, economic inequality, inadequate health care, shoddy infrastructure, underperforming schools, and insufficient retirement security — make attempting to pursue and achieve them well worth the effort. By David Costello Democratic Candidate for the U.S. Senate www.costelloforsenate.com