The Concord Coalition mourns the loss of our former Co-Chair and long-time Board member Mike Castle. As Governor of Delaware and a nine-term Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Castle’s public service was characterized by principled leadership, civility, and dedication. At The Concord Coalition, we knew him as a man who brought all of these attributes to the fight for fiscal responsibility.
Pictured from left to right is former US Representative John Tanner (D-TN), Concord’s National Field Director Phil Smith, and the late former Governor and US Representative Mike Castle (R-DE). The picture was taken in 2017 in Wilmington, Delaware at a Concord Coalition event headlined by the bipartisan duo.
Mike Castle not only cared about our nation’s fiscal future, which concerned him deeply, he wanted everyone to care about it. As a member of Congress he often invited The Concord Coalition to run our Principles & Priorities budget exercise at meetings with his constituents. He also hosted a well-attended bipartisan event in Wilmington as part of Concord’s Fiscal Wake-Up Tour, where he appeared with Senator Tom Carper, a Democrat and good friend.
After leaving Congress, Castle became a member of The Concord Coalition’s Board of Directors and served as Co-Chair from 2013 to 2020 with his former congressional colleague John Tanner (D-TN). In 2015, Castle and Tanner jointly authored a commentary in Roll Call urging presidential candidates to place the national debt at the center of campaign debates, and asking them to produce specific solutions highlighting the linkage between fiscal policy and long-term economic growth. In a passage that still rings true today, they wrote:
“The longer the delay, the more difficult the job becomes and the more the burden is shifted to future generations. And that highlights what’s really at stake. It’s not just about numbers. We have a moral duty to overcome whatever political obstacles may exist in pursuit of a brighter future for our children and grandchildren.”
Mike Castle will be warmly remembered. He set an enduring example of public service and we will miss him.
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