David Costello

David Costello was born in Bangor, Maine. Costello earned a bachelor's degree from The George Washington University in 1983 and a graduate degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 1989. His career experience includes working as an environmental policy consultant.[1]

David Costello did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I was born in Bangor in 1960 and raised in Old Town, Maine by his mother Gail, and maternal grandparents, Alfred and Pauline Baillargeon. My father John, an Army veteran and AFL- CIO organizer, died in 1968 at the age of thirty-one. The grandson of French and Irish American shoe, textile, and railroad workers, I learned the value of hard work at an early age. And, like many in Maine, I was the first in his family to earn a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree having worked my way through the University of Maine, George Washington University, and the London School of Economics and Political Science. With more than twenty-five years of senior- level government experience, I believe that I have the knowledge and skills necessary to make a meaningful difference in Washington. During my career, I have managed complex, multi-million-dollar programs both in the U.S. and overseas - including initiatives to combat climate change, revitalize communities, protect public health and the environment, and advance peaceful democratic change in such conflict-torn countries as Cambodia, Haiti, Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia, and Kosovo.

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?

Partisan gridlock abounds and our imperfect democracy is in danger of becoming even more flawed. To fix it, 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.I am running for the United States Senate because I want to advance long-overdue reforms that will not only help end gridlock in Washington but also help in protecting our rights and freedoms and assist in addressing such pressing problems as climate change, uneven economic prosperity, inadequate health care, shoddy infrastructure, under performing schools, increasing gun violence, and insufficient retirement security. I am also running because I want to help in ensuring that all Mainers are provided with the education, job skills, and other life-enriching opportunities to thrive. Having grown up in a working-class family I can appreciate the challenges confronting many of Maine’s less affluent families.As Senator, I will back efforts to: enact pro-democracy campaign finance reforms; impose term limits and retirement age requirements on federal judges, including Supreme Court justices; create an independent Government Accountability and Performance Commission; abolish the Electoral College; end gerrymandering and the Senate filibuster; overhaul of the U.S. House and Senate to ensure greater accountability and more equal representation; impose 24-year term limits on members of the U.S. House and Senate; and streamline our Constitution’s amendment process so that it is no longer virtually impossible to update our national charter.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about: protecting everyone’s personal rights and freedoms, including women’s reproductive rights; offering Medicare to all who want and need it; urgently and aggressively tackling climate change; expanding Social Security benefits for low-income retirees; increasing investments in education, infrastructure, and scientific research; providing universal pre-kindergarten and aftercare; bolstering national security and public safety (including stricter gun safety laws and regulations).

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty.

What legacy would you like to leave?

That genuine democracy is worth fighting for...

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

President John F. Kennedy's visit to the University of Maine in October 1963. I was three years old at the time.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Ground work laborer/handyman assistant.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Les Miserables. It's such a compelling story about redemption and justice.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Ned Stark

What do you perceive to be the United States' greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

Reforming our governing institutions and practices so that we better protect everyone's rights and more adequately address such pressing problems as climate change, uneven economic prosperity, inadequate health care, shoddy infrastructure, under performing schools, increasing gun violence, and insufficient retirement security.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

I support House and Senate term limits (24 years). Twenty-four years should be sufficient.

What qualities does the U.S. Senate possess that makes it unique as an institution?

I am concerned that it is insufficiently democratic and in need of a significant structural overhaul.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for senators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Yes.

What do you think of the filibuster?

It should be eliminated.

What kind of relationships would you build with other senators?

Cordial working relationships.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Yes.

What criteria would you apply when deciding whether to confirm presidential appointees to their Cabinet?

That the candidate is adequately qualified for the position.

Campaign website

Costello’s campaign website stated the following:

A Summary of David's Key Public Policy Priorities

As Maine's Senator, David will work to help in advancing a number of very important administrative reforms and legislative initiatives, many of which are summarized below.

Expanding Economic Prosperity

David will help in fostering a thriving economy and broader prosperity by supporting efforts to:

Provide universal pre-kindergarten and aftercare.

Expand workforce training and apprenticeships.

Increase performance-aligned resources for our schools, colleges, students, and teachers.

Boost investments in transportation, energy, and communications infrastructure.

Spur scientific research and development (R&D).

Raise the federal minimum wage and increase federal Child and Earned Income Tax Credits.

Expand sustainable community and affordable housing development assistance.

Increase personal investment and savings incentives – retirement and non-retirement.

Reallocate large agri-business and fossil fuel subsidies to rural economic development and clean energy initiatives.

Raise adequate revenue and ensure tax fairness via the enactment of progressive tax reforms.

Establish a global minimum corporate tax and enhanced labor and environment protections.

Health Care

David will help in guaranteeing adequate and affordable health care by supporting efforts to:

Offer Medicare, including dental and vision care, to all who want it.

Improve existing Affordable Care Act and other federal healthcare provisions for those who choose not to enroll in Medicare.

Adequately Addressing Climate Change

David will help in adequately addressing climate change by supporting efforts to:

Develop and implement an aggressive national, science-based climate action plan that includes, among other components: strict greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caps; ambitious GHG sequestration and "draw down" goals and actions; expanded clean energy, clean transportation, and energy efficiency initiatives; smarter development and land use regulations; greener appliance and building construction standards; and increased funding to mitigate the growing impacts of climate change.

Protecting Our Environment

​David will help in further protecting our environment by supporting efforts to:

Enact more stringent air and water quality standards and regulations.

Require courts to defer to federal agencies when rules they make are reasonable and enabling laws are ambiguous (codify Chevron deference).

Preserve more places of natural beauty and ecological importance.

Enact smarter, more sustainable development laws and regulations.

Develop and implement a national Zero Waste plan to reduce, reuse, or eliminate hazardous and solid waste in the U.S.

Enact stricter land and water conservation laws and regulations.

Ensuring Civil,Civic, and Human Rights

​David will help in expanding our nation's civil, civic, and human rights by supporting efforts to:

Protect the reproductive rights of women and the civil rights of everyone, including LGBTQIA+ persons.

Approve the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA).

Enact the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.

Enhancing Retirement Security

David will help in strengthening Social Security and overall retirement security by supporting efforts to:

Raise the FICA payroll tax cap.

Provide increased benefits to low-income retirees.

Establish a sovereign wealth fund to help in funding Social Security and Medicare.

Back the expansion of government incentivized retirement savings and investment accounts for working- and middle-class Americans to supplement Social Security.

Strengthening National Security

David will help in bolstering national security by supporting efforts to:

Maintain military and intelligence gathering superiority over all potential rivals, especially China and Russia.

Prioritize nuclear and conventional arms control agreements.

Expand military and intelligence gathering alliances.

Strengthen trade and foreign policy agencies and agreements.

Become more fully, intelligently, and responsibly engaged in world affairs.

Boost our nation's overall global economic competitiveness.

Enhancing Public Safety

David will help in enhancing public safety by supporting efforts to:

Increase funding for community policing, substance abuse, and mental health services.

Focus increased investigative and prosecutorial resources on violent offenses.

Enhance police training and accountability.

Build on recent common-sense gun safety laws and regulations.

Advancing Comprehensive Immigration Reform

​David will help in addressing our nation’s immigration challenges by supporting efforts to:

Pass comprehensive immigration reforms that facilitate legal immigration and aid in resolving our nation’s growing worker shortages.[2]

—David Costello’s campaign website (2024)[3]