A Letter from David

(This letter was mailed to the voters of RI-2 in the spring.)

Dear Neighbor,

My name is David Segal and I’m running for the seat in Congress that Jim Langevin is leaving. The Democratic Primary is in September, and with a fair number of candidates interested in running for this newly open seat, I know it can be hard to cut through the clutter, especially this early in the election season. 

That’s why I’m writing this letter: to introduce myself, to explain why I am running with the unique set of experiences I bring to this race, and to share some exciting news about the campaign. 

Here’s the short version: Twenty years ago, I was elected to the Providence City Council. I served for four years there, then four years in our State Legislature (representing parts of both of Rhode Island’s congressional districts). I ran for Congress in 2010 and ran a race I was proud of, but it was not successful. I then co-founded and led a national advocacy organization called Demand Progress that has engaged and activated millions of people across the nation and has had a concrete impact on many federal policies that have positively affected the residents of our communities. 

For twenty years I’ve been building coalitions to do this work and that’s why I’m optimistic that we can do more for our communities. But also, for twenty years, I’ve seen firsthand the toxic influence of corporate special interests and corruption in our political system. When I hear people say, “most of those politicians are bought by big industries,” I’m saddened, but I understand why they say it. It’s frequently true. Not all the time, but far too often. 

And that’s what I think is at stake in this race: Will we elect someone who recognizes that government can and should do more for people — and who has a proven track record of building the kinds of broad coalitions that can make government do more? 

I launched this campaign because I know when we have leaders who can regain the confidence of our neighbors, we can build the movements necessary to beat the special interests and big corporate money. In the last few weeks since the campaign got underway, I’ve been endorsed by leading groups and figures who, to me, exemplify that kind of leadership. Among them: Senator Elizabeth Warren, Our Revolution (the organization Bernie Sanders founded after his 2016 campaign), the Communications Workers of America, Progressive Democrats of America, and many local Rhode Island officials.

My mother’s family had settled in Brooklyn a generation earlier. Her father went on to work at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, pioneering prosthetics and adhesives that helped save and improve the lives of veterans returning from Vietnam; my parents met while working at a veterans’ hospital.

My family wasn’t overly political, but they cared about their communities and tried to make the world a better place. Most of them decided to do this through work in science or medicine — and at first I assumed that I would as well. (I started college as a chemistry major; I graduated with a degree in math.) Over time, as I got more deeply involved in civic life, I realized that I was best suited to contribute by organizing: connecting people across issues and interests, and encouraging the government to be more responsive to their needs.

I first ran for office in 2002 as part of an effort to pass a living wage law in Providence that would require developers who received tax breaks to pay their workers enough to live on. Through my involvement with community groups, I met people working two, even three jobs and still struggling to make ends meet. I, like hundreds of people in Providence involved in that effort, saw an opportunity to improve the lives of working families in the city while maximizing the impact of public dollars invested in private development. That work has lived on well after my time in office, paving the way for further reforms that support working Rhode Islanders. 

My experience on the City Council and in the State Legislature made it clear to me that there is much more to being an effective legislator than simply casting votes. In order to win real victories for ordinary people, it is critical to work closely with the community, organize at the grassroots level, and build coalitions both on the ground and in the halls of government. This is the lesson that I’ve taken with me in all my work, and it is the lesson I will take to Congress if I am honored to receive the support of our community. 

To cover just a few examples of my priorities, and the way I’ve worked to move them forward:

• Many of us remember how hard Rhode Island was hit during the economic crisis in 2008-9. Our Republican governor and legislative leaders back then sought to close a budget gap by cutting funding for cities and towns and the important services they provide. In response, I organized alongside my colleagues — both progressive and traditional Democrats — to push back, and we were able to restore millions of dollars that had been on the chopping block (funds that were critical especially in lower-income communities) and we made sure our state generated revenues through a fairer tax system moving forward.

• I’m proud to have been backed by both environmentalists and labor unions each time I’ve run for office. But these important constituencies haven’t always seen eye-to-eye, even though we need their partnership in order to overcome powerful interests that have a stake in maintaining the status quo reliance on fossil fuels. So, as a member of the House, I organized a dialogue that brought them into better alignment, out of a recognition of the importance of both preserving our environment and ensuring we are creating high road, union jobs in the process. This helped ease the path to passage of a series of bills I introduced to expand the ability of homeowners, small businesses, and governments to install wind turbines and solar panels across the state — including those that are now part of Providence’s skyline — as well as for future partnerships and policies.

• At the federal level I’ve helped lead a movement to revive policies that protect consumers, workers, and small businesses from corporate monopolies. Whether we look at the Big Tech platforms and Big Pharma, or at the energy and agricultural sectors, people know that there is too much power in the hands of just a handful of corporate giants. We’ve been able to bring together business owners, workers and unions, progressive advocates, traditional Democrats — and sometimes even Republicans — to support reforms and the regulators who will implement them.

Over the last twenty years, I have had the opportunity to work on a wide array of issues. Starting literally from the ground in Providence: fixing sidewalks and planting trees, shaping parks and starting a community garden, protecting our libraries and improving school infrastructure. I oversaw policy advances at the city and state levels: addressing affordability, making our criminal justice system more fair, supporting workers organizing for better conditions and wages, protecting individual and civil rights. On the federal level I’ve continued similar work: testifying before the U.S. House and Senate in support of election reforms, protecting our communications infrastructure, organizing broad pushback against Trump’s worst nominees, and guarding against involvement in unnecessary and disastrous foreign conflicts.

None of those accomplishments came from the work of just one leader. Every one of them was the result of broad coalitions inside and outside the halls of power. And every one of those coalitions was made up of progressives (like me) working side by side with people and groups who were not as progressive, but who shared a common interest in these critical issues. I know from my experience that making real change requires bringing people together with respect. When we do that, we find we have more in common than we thought. And if elected I will continue to work this way. 

Today, the highest priority for policymakers must be to build an economy that works for everyday people: full employment, universal healthcare, fairer taxes, less power in the hands of the largest corporations, and a solution to the current inflation crisis. Elected leaders who know how to reach beyond their bases to bring people together can build the strength necessary to tackle issues like these, even when it means overcoming powerful opposition. Those who do politics the same old way (funded by the same old donors) will not secure the change we need. Those who claim to support key concerns, but who dismiss others who could be allies, will not only fail to make change — they will make people lose faith in our political system. We can’t have that. 

I am running for Congress today for the same reason I ran for City Council twenty years ago: Because there are people in our communities who need government to do a better job looking out for them. Because regular people’s voices are too often ignored, or drowned out by corporate special interest money. Because our fears and frustrations are exploited by those who seek to divide us, build personal and political power, and turn us away from what we share in common. Because when we do have elected leaders who are honest and working for us, we can achieve things that once seemed hopeless. 

If you want to send somebody to Congress with the proven ability to make change happen on the local, state, and federal levels, and will strive every day to be that principled leader, then I humbly ask for your support — your active involvement if you can, but most importantly, your vote.  

You can visit www.davidsegalri.com to learn more about me and follow the campaign. 

I thank you for taking the time to read this far. I wouldn’t write a long letter like this if I didn’t have confidence that the people in our district care deeply about what kind of leadership we elect. I’ve seen it over and over again during my twenty years advocating for our communities, and it is what gives me hope that we, together, can make government more responsive to the needs of the people. 

Sincerely,

David