About David Clarke

I grew up in a Navy family and have called Rhode Island home since 1996. For nearly three decades, this state has been where I’ve built my life, my career, and my family.

I’ve worked as a Department of Defense contractor at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center since 2012. That work requires trust, responsibility, and accountability every single day. When your job matters to national security, you learn quickly that excuses do not get the job done and trust has to be earned.

I work two jobs. My wife is an emergency room nurse. Like a lot of families in Rhode Island, we are not looking for favors. We are looking for the same thing millions of Americans are looking for: a fair shot, a stable future, and leaders who actually understand what daily life costs.

I work six to seven days a week because that is what it takes. I do not read about the cost-of-living crisis in a briefing memo. My family lives it. We feel it in the grocery store, in utility bills, in housing costs, in insurance premiums, and in the everyday math that working people have to do just to stay ahead.

I drive over the same failing infrastructure, deal with the same rising bills, and see the same broken systems Rhode Islanders deal with every day. I know what it feels like to watch paychecks get stretched thinner while politicians talk bigger and deliver less.

That is a big part of why I am stepping up.

Rhode Islanders want accountability, transparency, and straight answers. They want leaders who respect taxpayers, tell the truth, and remember who government is supposed to work for. Not insiders. Not donors. Not party leadership. The people.

I’m running as a Republican because I believe in fiscal responsibility, strong national defense, secure borders, public safety, rewarding work, and a government that should live within its means. But I’m also a problem solver and an independent-minded voice for Rhode Island. I believe good ideas are good ideas, no matter which party they come from, and I will work with anyone who is serious about solving problems and delivering results for the people of this state.

That means holding Washington accountable when it wastes money, overreaches, or loses sight of working families. It also means calling out failures here at home when bureaucracy, special interests, and political protection matter more than results.

I believe in lower costs, stronger communities, better local jobs, affordable and reliable energy, quality healthcare people can actually use, and a government that treats accountability like a duty, not a talking point.

Rhode Island may be small, but we have always punched above our weight. We work hard. We look out for each other. And we deserve representation that reflects that same grit, seriousness, and common sense.

I’m not running to play political games or build a résumé. I’m running to deliver results, restore trust, and fight for the people of Rhode Island.

If you are tired of the noise, the excuses, and the dysfunction, you are not alone. This campaign is about accountability, transparency, and putting Rhode Island first.