Craig Swallow

Craig Swallow earned a high school diploma from New Bedford High School. Swallow earned a bachelor's degree from Bridgewater State University in 2010. Swallow's career experience includes working as an operations manager.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I come from a working-class background and have spent my career in education, restaurant management, and community leadership. I have balanced payrolls, managed teams, resolved conflicts, and operated under real-world constraints that most politicians have never experienced.

I have also organized locally, led coalitions, and worked directly with voters who are frustrated with politicians that speak at them rather than with them. That combination of operational leadership, lived experience, and grassroots organizing is exactly what Congress needs more of.

I am running for office because career politicians have allowed an oligarchy and gerontocracy to erode our democracy. For far too long, Washington has prioritized corporate donors, lobbyists, and political self-preservation over addressing the real, material needs of working people. This failure has not only deepened inequality but also hollowed out public trust in government, leaving entire communities behind. I believe it’s time for bold, people-centered leadership that puts everyday Americans first.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

MEDICARE FOR ALL

Medicare for All guarantees comprehensive, affordable healthcare for every resident. No networks. No coverage gaps. No fear of losing care when you get sick or need to change jobs.

This is not just an ethical issue. It is an economic one. When healthcare is guaranteed, small businesses can grow, workers can change jobs without fear, and families can plan for the future.

Affordable healthcare gives families real financial security. It frees up income for housing, education, and retirement instead of insurance premiums and medical debt. It allows us all to enjoy our present and save for our future. This district deserves a representative who will fight for universal care, not defend a system that profits from illness.BAN CONGRESSIONAL STOCK TRADING

Families across the district are struggling while members of Congress continue to enrich themselves through stock trades.

That is not a loophole. It is legalized corruption.

Democratic has operated inside this system for decades and benefited from a Congress that polices itself. Which we know does not work.

I will fight for:

• A full ban on individual stock ownership for members of Congress, senior staff, and immediate family

• Mandatory divestment into blind trusts

• Public disclosure of all financial transactions within twenty-four hours

• Real penalties for violations, including fines, criminal charges, and expulsion when warranted

Public service should never be a wealth-building opportunity.TERM LIMITS ON CONGRESS AND SUPREME COURT

Long tenures create insulation. Insulation creates corruption, even when laws are technically followed. The incumbent has benefited from this structure for years and has no incentive to dismantle it.

I support firm, enforceable reforms that break this cycle.

My commitments:

• Term limits for members of Congress to prevent entrenched power and permanent incumbency

• A ten-year ban on lobbying for former members of Congress, senior staff, and immediate family members

• A public accountability dashboard tracking post-Congress employment so voters can see who cashes in and where

Accountability only works when consequences are real and visible.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

MODERNIZING PUBLIC EDUCATION

I believe college, career training, and the trades all deserve equal respect and investment.

My approach:

• Career-tech and vocational education available to every high school student through strong regional partnerships while continuing to prepare for college

• Union-backed apprenticeship pipelines that take students from diploma to pre-apprenticeship to a good-paying union job

• Paid pre-apprenticeship programs for juniors and seniors

• Modern skills training including coding, cybersecurity, and digital literacy

• Entrepreneurship programs that teach students how to start and sustain small businesses

Education should lead to opportunity, not uncertainty.

Campaign websiteSwallow's campaign website stated the following:AFFORDABILITYFamilies across the 9th District are working hard and still falling behind. The cost of healthcare, housing, energy, education, and daily life keeps rising while wages lag. Affordability should not be a luxury. It should be the baseline.​For decades, this district has been represented by someone who talks about affordability but accepts a system where costs keep rising and accountability is optional. I am running because incrementalism is not working, and people cannot afford another decade of the same.​Affordability means taking on corporate power, monopoly utilities, and broken systems directly, not protecting them with half measures.​​Healthcare: Medicare for AllHealthcare costs are crushing working families across the district. From fishermen in New Bedford to seniors on the Cape, service workers, seasonal employees, and small business owners are often uninsured, underinsured, or one medical emergency away from financial disaster. The current approach, supported by Keating, keeps healthcare tied to employment and private insurance profits. That system leaves too many people behind while costs continue to rise. Medicare for All guarantees comprehensive, affordable healthcare for every resident. No networks. No coverage gaps. No fear of losing care when you get sick or need to change jobs.This is not just an ethical issue. It is an economic one. When healthcare is guaranteed, small businesses can grow, workers can change jobs without fear, and families can plan for the future.What this delivers:Comprehensive coverage including hospital care, doctor visits, mental health, dental, vision, prescriptions, and long-term careExpanded mental health access, including school counselors and telehealth for rural communitiesLower prescription drug costs, especially for seniors and people with chronic conditionsInvestment in community health centers and incentives to recruit and retain providersAffordable healthcare gives families real financial security. It frees up income for housing, education, and retirement instead of insurance premiums and medical debt. It allows us all to enjoy our present and save for our future. This district deserves a representative who will fight for universal care, not defend a system that profits from illness.Education & Workforce DevelopmentEducation is the most reliable path to economic mobility, but only if it connects students to real jobs. Too often, students are pushed toward debt with no clear pathway to stable work, while local industries struggle to find skilled workers.For years, this district has had leadership that talks about education while failing to modernize workforce pipelines or expand vocational and apprenticeship opportunities at scale.I believe college, career training, and the trades all deserve equal respect and investment.My approach:Career-tech and vocational education available to every high school student through strong regional partnerships while continuing to prepare for collegeExpanded trades training in areas like electrical, HVAC, plumbing, offshore wind, marine trades, healthcare, culinary arts, cybersecurity, and automotive repairUnion-backed apprenticeship pipelines that take students from diploma to pre-apprenticeship to a good-paying union jobPaid pre-apprenticeship programs for juniors and seniorsModern skills training including coding, cybersecurity, and digital literacyEntrepreneurship programs that teach students how to start and sustain small businessesEducation should lead to opportunity, not uncertainty. I will fight for clear, funded pathways that keep young people working and living in their communities.Housing AffordabilityHousing costs are out of control across the district. Seasonal and investor-driven markets inflate prices. Aging housing stock needs repair. Transit gaps isolate affordable units from job centers. Rents have risen dramatically while wages stay the same.These problems did not happen overnight, and they will not be solved by talking points. They require leadership willing to confront speculation and prioritize people over profit.My plan:Expand Housing Choice Vouchers and automatically enroll eligible workersSupport rent-to-own programs through nonprofits and small landlordsFund emergency rent assistance and eviction preventionRehabilitate mills, schools, and underused buildings into mixed-use housingCap short-term rentals that hollow out neighborhoodsBuild housing near transit and job centersTax vacant properties held purely for speculationHousing security keeps families together, kids in their schools, and workers close to their jobs. This district deserves a representative who treats housing as a human need, not a market experiment.Energy Affordability & Climate JusticeEnergy is a basic necessity, yet monopoly utilities continue raising rates while posting record profits. Working families pay the highest burden while corporations face little oversight.The incumbent has accepted this status quo. I will not.What I will fight for:A Climate Superfund that forces fossil fuel corporations to pay for environmental damageAllocate those funds to rebuild infrastructure, protect working-class communities, invest in resilient transit and clean energy, and safeguard vulnerable areas like coastal and industrial regionsRequire full transparency on corporate disclosures: what companies knew, when they knew it, and how they responded and hold them criminally or civilly liable for deliberate deceptionEmpower states and municipalities to pursue litigation and recovery actions on behalf of their citizens with federal supportUnion-backed green apprenticeship programsClean energy should lower bills and create local jobs. Climate justice means working families are not forced to subsidize corporate greed.Daily Costs & Cost-of-Living SupportAffordability is not one bill. It is transportation, childcare, food, and everything families juggle every month.My priorities:Expanding affordable public transit across the South Coast, Cape, and Plymouth CountyInvesting in reliable regional bus service and subsidized options for low-income residentsUniversal pre-K and affordable childcare, with fair pay and training for childcare workersStrengthening SNAP and supporting local agriculture and fisheriesCracking down on corporate price gouging in essential goodsFamilies should not have to choose between feeding themselves, paying rent, or keeping the lights on. Affordability is dignityACCOUNTABILITYRestoring Public ServiceCongress was never meant to be a lifetime career or a pipeline to corporate lobbying. Yet that is exactly what it has become.Long tenures create insulation. Insulation creates corruption, even when laws are technically followed. The incumbent has benefited from this structure for years and has no incentive to dismantle it.I support firm, enforceable reforms that break this cycle.My commitments:Term limits for members of Congress to prevent entrenched power and permanent incumbencyA ten-year ban on lobbying for former members of Congress, senior staff, and immediate family membersA public accountability dashboard tracking post-Congress employment so voters can see who cashes in and whereBan & Enforce Congressional Stock TradingFamilies across the district are struggling with rising rents, healthcare costs, and energy bills while members of Congress continue to enrich themselvesThat is not a loophole. It is legalized corruption.Keating has operated inside this system for decades and benefited from a Congress that polices itself. Which we know does not work.I will fight for:A full ban on individual stock ownership for members of Congress, senior staff, and immediate familyMandatory divestment into blind trusts or broad index funds within six months of taking officePublic disclosure of all financial transactions within twenty-four hoursReal penalties for violations, including fines, criminal charges, and expulsion when warrantedPublic service should never be a wealth-building opportunity.Fair Elections and Ending Dark Money PoliticsPermanent fundraising has warped Congress. Members spend more time courting donors than listening to constituents. Billionaires and corporate PACs drown out everyday voices.This system benefits long-time incumbents with built-in donor networks and name recognition. It is no accident that it remains untouched.My position:Limit congressional campaign seasons to six monthsBan fundraising by sitting members during legislative sessionsOverturn Citizens United so money is no longer treated as speechPass the DISCLOSE Act to expose dark money in real timeExpand public financing and small-donor matching so working-class contributions matterDemocracy should not depend on who can write the biggest check.Oversight of Federal Power and Defending Civil RightsAccountability must apply to federal agencies as well. Power without oversight leads to abuse, secrecy, and fear in our communities.For too long, Congress has failed to meaningfully oversee agencies like DHS and ICE, allowing constitutional violations to persist while elected officials look the other way. I will not.I will fight for:Ending warrantless ICE detainers and requiring judicial oversight for all detentionsEnding programs like 287(g) that turn local police into federal immigration agentsIndependent oversight of DHS and ICE with subpoena power and community representationTreating immigration as a civil issue, not a criminal onePermanent protections for DACA recipients and clear, humane pathways to citizenshipFederal power must be checked, transparent, and accountable to the people it serves.Supreme Court & Judicial AccountabilityThe Supreme Court now wields enormous power over American life with virtually no accountability. Lifetime appointments, weak ethics rules, and no enforcement have eroded public trust.Silence from career politicians has allowed this imbalance to grow.My commitments:Eighteen-year term limits for Supreme Court justices with staggered appointmentsA binding and enforceable ethics code with real disclosure and recusal rulesExpanded congressional oversight when ethical violations ariseImpeach sitting justices who violated Ethics in Government ActNo one, including judges, should operate above the Constitution.Foreign Policy: Diplomacy Over WarFor too long, U.S. foreign policy has been shaped by endless wars, military escalation, and interventions that put working families at risk both at home and abroad. From Iraq and Afghanistan to ongoing conflicts globally fueled by arms sales and proxy fights, the costs have been measured in lost lives, destabilized regions, and trillions of taxpayer dollars diverted away from urgent needs.Communities across this district understand those costs. Veterans return home carrying physical and emotional burdens. Families struggle while public resources that could strengthen schools, healthcare, and infrastructure are instead spent on prolonged military engagements with no clear end.Currently, military solutions and defense industry interests are prioritized over diplomacy and long-term stability. That strategy has not made us safer. It has too often prolonged conflict, undermined trust, and pulled us into wars without clear objectives or accountability.My approach to foreign policy places diplomacy first; with an investment in peace-building along with a coalition of our allies. Diplomatic approaches that prevent conflict will redirect resources to strengthening communities at home, and remove the influence of for-profit defense contractors.What this delivers:A commitment to ending unauthorized and indefinite military engagements, including repealing outdated Authorizations for Use of Military Force (AUMFs)An end to the humanitarian crisis and genocide in Palestine, and military incursions into LebanonA commitment to terminate military aid to any ally committing genocide, war crimes, or violating the sovereignty of another nationA shift in funding from defense contractors toward diplomacy, humanitarian aid, and conflict prevention programsStronger investment in the State Department, international institutions, and multilateral partnershipsAn end to arms sales that fuel human rights abuses and regional instabilityExpanded support for veterans, including healthcare, mental health services, and job transition programsPrioritization of climate diplomacy and global cooperation on shared challenges that drive conflict and displacementA foreign policy rooted in peace makes our country stronger and more secure. It ensures that American leadership reflects our values, not just our military power. It allows us to invest in opportunity at home while building a more stable and just world abroad. This district deserves a representative who will stand against endless war and fight for a future grounded in diplomacy and peace.Artificial Intelligence: Progressive Regulation and PolicyArtificial intelligence is already shaping how people get hired, approved for housing, treated in healthcare, and monitored at work. Families across this district deserve technology that expands opportunity rather than systems that quietly discriminate, surveil, or concentrate power in the hands of a few corporations.Right now, the rules are lagging behind the reality. Companies can deploy high-impact algorithms with little transparency, weak accountability, and no meaningful protections for the people affected by the decisions. In the workplace, AI tools have been tied to discrimination, unsafe conditions, intrusive monitoring, and arbitrary discipline because workers lack the power and rights to shape how these systems are used.A progressive AI policy starts from a simple principle: technology must serve the public first. That means enforceable guardrails, strong privacy protections, and clear standards so people can understand when AI is being used, challenge harmful outcomes, and opt for human review when it matters. This approach aligns with a rights-based framework that emphasizes safe and effective systems, protections from algorithmic discrimination, data privacy, notice and explanation, and real human alternatives. When we set clear rules, we protect families, empower workers, and help small businesses and responsible innovators compete without being undercut by “move fast and break things” mindset of Big Tech.What this delivers:Privacy by default standards that place strong limits on data collection, strict boundaries on surveillance, and restrictions on use related to minorsAlgorithmic transparency and accountability as a policy for AI Models and the companies producing Large-Language Models (LLMs) and AI AgentsWorker first protections that will limit the use of productivity scoring, surveillance on personal devices, and defining collective rights for human workers in the workplaceEnforceable safety standards for AI that will include managing risks related to impersonation, the use of chatbots in providing medical, legal, or financial advise, and protections for childrenAI policy is about building a future where people are in control. It means protecting civil rights, strengthening worker power, and making sure the benefits of new technology are shared broadly, not extracted from our communities. This district deserves a representative who will lead on safe, fair, and democratic AI with rules that protect families first and innovation that serve the public good.Women's Rights & LGBTQ Equality: Freedom, Safety, and Dignity for AllAcross this district, women and LGBTQ people are fighting for something simple: the freedom to live their lives with dignity, safety, and control over their own futures. Despite decades of progress, protections and civil rights for both Women and LGBTQ communities have been eroded and subjected to abstract debates in both Congress and the Supreme Court. These issues are not abstract. LGBTQ Americans continue to face widespread discrimination in housing, employment, healthcare, and public life, with many reporting unfair treatment simply for who they are. Access to reproductive care is increasingly restricted even though it is directly tied to women’s health, financial stability, and long-term opportunity. Across the country, growing legislative efforts are targeting LGBTQ people, especially transgender Americans, threatening their ability to live safely and openly.As a gay man and a champion for Women’s rights, my vision for policy starts with a simple truth, freedom means having control over your own body, your identity, and your future. It means protecting civil rights without forcing Americans to navigate a patchwork of protections that change from state to state. Beyond the principle of fairness under the law, this allows for the more full participation of all people in public life, at work, and at school.What this delivers:Passing the Equality Act to ensure LGBTQ people are protected in employment, housing, education, and healthcare nationwideRestoring the right to choose in federal law as well as protecting access to contraception and abortion careClosing the gender wage gap including by pursuing policies of pay transparency laws and investing in paid family leave and affordable childcareAccess to healthcare without discrimination by enforcing protections to reproductive care, and expanding coverage of mental health and gender-affirming careExpanding public funding for domestic violence protection, survivor services, and prosecuting perpetrators of violence against women and LGBTQ individualsWomen’s rights and LGBTQ rights are human rights. They are about whether people can build stable lives, care for their families, and move through the world without fear.— Craig Swallow's campaign website (August 28, 2026)Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.