About David Clarke

I grew up in a Navy family and have called Rhode Island home since 1996. For nearly three decades, Rhode Island 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. I hold a federal security clearance and take that responsibility seriously. When you spend your career trusted with critical work for this country, you learn that accountability matters — and that trust has to be earned every day.

I work two jobs. My wife is an emergency room nurse. Like many families in RI-02, we’re not looking for handouts — we’re looking for a fair shake: affordable housing, lower energy bills, affordable healthcare, and leaders who actually show up and do the work.

I work six to seven days a week, full-time and part-time, because that’s what it takes. I don’t read about the cost-of-living crisis in reports. My family lives it, just like so many Rhode Islanders do every single day.

I drive over the same crumbling bridges in Warwick and Cranston, sit in the same ER waiting rooms in Providence and West Warwick, and watch the same NUWC paychecks get stretched thin from Newport to South County.

Rhode Islanders want accountability and transparency from their leaders. They want straight answers, honest budgeting, and a government that remembers who it works for — not insiders, not donors, not party leadership, but the people.

I believe good ideas don’t belong to one party, and I govern independently — focused on results, accountability, and what works for Rhode Island. If elected, I hope to join the Problem Solvers Caucus and work across party lines with anyone — Republican, Democrat, or Independent — who’s serious about solving problems. Independence isn’t about a label; it’s about how you govern.

I answer to Rhode Islanders.

That means holding Washington accountable when it wastes money or forgets who it works for. It also means calling out failures here at home when politics, bureaucracy, or special interests come before working people.

I believe in strong national defense, fiscal responsibility, affordable healthcare that actually works for working families, and a government that respects taxpayers instead of taking them for granted.

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

I’m not running to score points or play party games. I’m running to deliver results — for RI-02 and for all of Rhode Island.

If you’re tired of the noise, the excuses, and the dysfunction — welcome. This campaign is about accountability, transparency, and putting Rhode Island first.