The Data-Driven Optimist Running to Fix Congress
Todd Achilles, a little-known Independent, argues that a pragmatic, evidence-based campaign makes him a serious contender in Idaho’s Senate race.
Unlike other Senate candidates, lived experiences haven’t really shaped Todd Achilles’ political beliefs.
Yes, he served in the military. Yes, he spent 20 years working in the private sector. And for the past 10 years, he has been teaching public policy at schools such as UC-Berkeley and Boise State.
But those experiences haven’t shaped his political beliefs as much as data has.
“Policy has got to be data driven, and you’ve got to have the facts and the numbers behind it. You have to look outside of your own experience.”
- Todd Achilles, Independent Senate Candidate for Idaho
According to Achilles, good policy is all about serving the needs of marginalized communities and being bipartisan. He argues that using data to set policy instead of lived experiences can generate long-lasting, effective results for citizens, which the current Senate is failing to do.
A Close Senate Race
Todd Achilles is running against incumbent Republican Jim Risch and Democrat David Roth. Risch has held the seat since 2009.
The last time Idaho elected a Senator not from the Republican Party was in 1974, when Democrat Frank Church defeated Republican Bob Smith.
A poll from Bullfinch Insights among “informed voters” has Achilles winning 51% of the vote, 20 points more than Risch. However, another poll from the firm among “uninformed voters” has Risch holding a 23 point lead over Achilles.
Two Biographies
A book that most closely captures his worldview?
Two, actually. The first is John McCain’s biography, Faith of My Fathers, which Achilles admires for its portrayal of leadership; the second is Father and Son: A Personal Biography of Senator Frank Church of Idaho, which focuses on Frank Church, whom Achilles admires for his pragmatism and evidence-oriented philosophy.
The Philosophy of Todd Achilles
Achilles is a big fan of individual liberties, which he says extends not only to farmers, ranchers, and landowners, but also towards women’s reproductive rights and the LGBTQ community. In the Senate, he would focus on protecting those liberties.
As a former data-driven representative in Idaho’s State House, he finds humility important in the policymaking process.
“If the data shows you’re going in the wrong direction, then I think you need to stop, and you need to be intellectually disciplined and look at the data and act on the data.”
- Todd Achilles
He is also a strong defender of the federal system outlined in the Constitution. Achilles remarked that “the best government is local government,” and he finds the actions of state legislatures telling cities and counties what to do a “violation of federalist principles.”
The Fulcrum Caucus
Achilles is one of six Independent military veterans running for Senate seats this November. The six candidates hope to make up the Senate’s newest caucus: “The Fulcrum Caucus.”
The five other veterans are: Seth Bodnar (Montana), Dan Osborn (Nebraska), Brian Bengs (South Dakota), Bob Chew (Colorado), and Ty Pinkins (Mississippi).
Currently, the Senate is made up of 53 Republicans, 45 Democrats, and 2 Independents.
Achilles predicts that Democrats will pick up 3 seats in the Senate, bringing the total makeup to 50 Republicans, 48 Democrats, and 2 Independents.
He says that if just 2 out of the 6 members of the Fulcrum Caucus pick up 2 Republican seats, then the makeup would be 48 Republicans, 48 Democrats, and 4 Independents.
In this scenario, the Fulcrum Caucus would deny a majority to either political party and would “basically become the ones that set the agenda and set the priorities,” per Achilles.
Achilles says that priority number one for the Fulcrum Caucus is to “get Congress functioning again,” which would break the grip of both parties.
“You can’t tell the difference between a corporate Republican and a corporate Democrat. They’re both taking checks from the same entities, the same special interests. As an independent, when you look at what’s been going on in the federal government, it doesn’t matter who’s in the White House: you get the same debt, division, and dysfunction….
Idahoans see the same thing. They see this Congress that isn’t working, that’s just fundamentally corrupt, and they see this rigged economy where the kids don’t have an opportunity. The American dream is just too hard to reach, and that’s (for) Republicans, Independents, and Democrats across the state.
The best way to get Congress functioning again is with the Independents, because we (have) to break the grip of the parties. The parties have just gotten too powerful…members of Congress have become cheerleaders rather than checks on the executive branch, and that’s what you have to stop.”
- Todd Achilles
Other priorities of the Fulcrum Caucus include:
Overturning Citizens United
Passing term and age limits for Representatives and Senators
Stopping gerrymandering
Banning Congressional stock trading
ICE and the Death Penalty
When asked about his views on ICE, Achilles said that “ICE needs to follow the damn law” and that “immigration is incredibly important to our (agriculture) industry” in Idaho.
He said he does not want to abolish ICE, but ICE needs to follow the law. He also mentioned that while he is in favor of more secure borders, he also wants to make the process to become an American citizen more simplified.
On the death penalty, Achilles stated that he is “against the death penalty because our judicial system is not perfect. We have too many flaws in our judicial system…for us to take somebody’s life with an imperfect system is not how we should govern.”
What Todd Achilles believes about human nature
The final question of the interview was another glimpse into the worldview of Todd Achilles. I asked him what he believes about human nature: are people basically good, basically bad, neither, or is it just complex?
In the words of Todd Achilles:
”I‘m an optimist, I think people are fundamentally good, you see good people doing the hard, right things all over the place, and it’s just inspirational.
I think from a policy standpoint, you need to look at how your good idea goes wrong, which takes kind of a jaded look at how something could be manipulated and misused, and it’s a hard balance between the two.
You want to be optimistic and believe in good people out there, and the vast majority (of people) are, but you also need to think about how good things go wrong, and think about and plan for that.
Our system of government is imperfect, and we’ve been revising it and learning and making it better, but the basic foundations are pretty damn good.
Now, if you have a bunch of senators and aren’t acting like checks on the executive branch, then you get some damn problems like you got right now.
The core structure is there, and it’s a remarkable system, and we’ve got a duty to protect it and improve it.”
While it remains to be seen whether Idaho voters will elect Achilles to the Senate, it is clear that his campaign has brought a fresh, independent voice to a state long dominated by the Republican Party.
The goal for Achilles isn’t exciting politics; it’s effective government.
And that’s pretty boring.
You can learn more about Todd’s campaign at his website here.
This was a very interesting read and I hope that he does well, though the incumbency advantage is always devastating towards outsiders.
That said, there is one thing that he believes and I'm not sure I agree with: the idea that if enough independent senators are elected that it would break a congressional majority for either party. There's no way there wouldn't be some shuffling of party affiliations: I could easily see Angus King officially flip blue, John fetterman flip red, Bernie Sanders do Bernie Sanders things, and we're right back to where we are.
But I think what matters is getting people who actually know how to run our governments into positions where they can run our governments and it's not a clown show.