Joseph Couch

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Joseph Couch

Nonpartisan

Elections and appointments

Last election

May 12, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

Doane College, 2016

Military

Personal

Birthplace

Ulysses, Neb.

Contact

Campaign website

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Joseph Couch ran for election to the Nebraska State Senate to represent District 21. He lost in the primary on May 12, 2020.

Couch completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Joseph Couch was born in Ulysses, Nebraska. He has served in the United States Army since 2013. Couch earned a bachelor's degree from Doane College in 2016.

Elections

2020

See also: Nebraska State Senate elections, 2020

General election

General election for Nebraska State Senate District 21

Incumbent Mike Hilgers defeated Brodey Weber in the general election for Nebraska State Senate District 21 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mike Hilgers (Nonpartisan)	55.0	10,157
		Brodey Weber (Nonpartisan)	45.0	8,325

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 18,482
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Nebraska State Senate District 21

Incumbent Mike Hilgers and Brodey Weber defeated Joseph Couch in the primary for Nebraska State Senate District 21 on May 12, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mike Hilgers (Nonpartisan)	59.1	5,150
✔		Brodey Weber (Nonpartisan)	27.3	2,379
		Joseph Couch (Nonpartisan)	13.6	1,184

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 8,713
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Joseph Couch completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Couch's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I serve in the Nebraska Army National Guard to respond to natural disasters and protect my community. I studied Mathematics because I'm a problem solver who loves a challenge. I've watched the legislature and learned not only how it works, but how our senators don't. They don't believe in service or science. I do. I know what it's like to be food-insecure, to be uninsured, to work multiple jobs and to live paycheck to paycheck. I am a bisexual atheist living with depression and I don't think our legislature understands my experience or the experience of most working-class Nebraskans. I believe in service and science, I want a government that does the same.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• The climate crisis should be our top priority at every level of government; nothing else matters if we don't have a planet to live on. But our legislature has no plan of action and doesn't even acknowledge the problem.
• An individual making $30,000 in Nebraska is in the same state tax bracket as one of the wealthiest people on the planet. I believe it's time for the rich to pay their fair share. Lower taxes for workers and families, higher taxes for billionaires.
• A two-party structure is an inevitable, unavoidable consequence of our current voting system. Real non-partisanship and real change is only possible if we change our system to reward honest voting. Score Then Automatic Runoff voting is the solution.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Food insecurity and mental health issues are two that have affected me my whole life, and both have solutions in our public schools.

Reduced cost lunches changed my life, but it's not enough. Student lunch debt should not be in our vocabulary.

Navigating our healthcare system to find a therapist was one of the most difficult things I've done. Having mental health specialists in every school and making mental well-being a normal part of life makes us all healthier.

My campaign is also about LGBTQ rights, reproductive rights, family farmers, gun violence prevention, domestic violence prevention, workers' rights, and ending the war on drugs.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to current Nebraska State Senator Megan Hunt and constitutional attorney and author Andrew Seidel. Both of them display tremendous courage simply for living their lives publicly, but they're also amazing communicators. They both speak the truth even when it may not be popular, or others may not want to hear it, or others won't even believe it, but it needs to be said. They're also skilled at switching their communication styles between diplomatic and sardonic.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt and Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman are two of the most impactful books I've read. John Rawls' Veil of Ignorance probably gets closer to my political philosophy as it shaped how I think society should be organized, but the other two books shaped how I think and make decisions.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Discernment and empathy. Elected officials must be able to understand truth, and listen to experts. They must also apply that knowledge to real people and the impact on their lives.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I'm honest, I believe in altruism and service, I understand the scientific method, and I know how to be wrong.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The core responsibility is to use their judgment to improve the lives of Nebraskans. Essentially, my responsibility will be to help where I can

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to build a government we can trust. I would like to make the phrase "good enough for government work" to once again mean it's the best available. I would like to more than 40% of citizens voting and engaged, but most of all I don't want people to struggle. If I can help the homeless, the sick, and the poor that's enough.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I was in second grade during 9/11. I remember seeing the smoking buildings on the TV in the classroom and not knowing what it meant until the bus ride home when the older students were talking about it.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I worked as a kid for my father who painted houses. I did it for several years and mostly enjoyed it. Rolling paint and sanding woodwork can be peaceful and satisfying. I also detasseled corn as a teenager, but that already grueling task became impossible when I developed pollen allergies.

What is your favorite book? Why?

The Stranger by Albert Camus. It was my introduction to Camus who was a very interesting person with other great works. The story itself is written in a fascinating way where Mersault is perplexingly casual about the heavy circumstances around him.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Hobbes from Calvin and Hobbes. He seems happy.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time"

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I live with depression and anxiety, often fighting myself to stay alive. Sometimes that makes it hard to know what were the struggles in my life since I unintentionally downplay some and exaggerate others. Growing up poor and occasionally food insecure means I'm still teaching myself money management practices and healthy cooking. Being a first-generation graduate means I had to learn the college system on my own. The stigma surrounding mental illness made seeking help a struggle. I'm currently struggling to help a friend leave their abusive parents' clutches.

I don't think anything is easy, but I'm still here; learning, and arming myself and my family with the tools for success.

What are the benefits and drawbacks of a unicameral state legislature, in your opinion?

The small, officially non-partisan body has great potential to foster real compromises and exchanges of ideas. It's also very accessible; every bill has a public hearing and depending on how hard your senator works/cares, you can develop real relationships as a constituent.

But while the non-partisan body may fair better than overtly partisan bodies, it falls short of that goal. Almost every member needs to use either Democrat or Republican infrastructure to run and legislate. The salary paid to senators is another barrier to a real diversity of ideas. $12,000 as a yearly salary means only already wealthy people can hold that job and live. I'm taking a huge financial risk in this campaign.

Nebraska senators like to talk about the people as the "second house," but without honest voting systems and better infrastructure for public input, it's phony.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Of course it's beneficial. First of all, familiarization with formal rules of procedure should make the business less stressful. But experience also likely means relationships, and relationships are essential to coalition forming and compromise and the sharing/critiquing of ideas.

But those are also all skills and assets anyone can get by studying or being an active member of their community. A more necessary skill is listening, good judgment, and an understanding of science.

What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?

Climate Change. Agricultural economies will be hard hit by extreme weather such as droughts, floods, and pest problems.

Brain drain is the second great challenge. Young people are leaving our state and we need to find ways to recruit and retain our young talent. We need to make a Nebraska that is honestly for everyone.

If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Natural Resources: to work on climate action.

Government, Military & Veterans Affairs: to work on our voting systems.
Revenue: to fix our tax bracket so the burden isn't on the poor and middle class.
Education: to work on food insecurity and mental health services.
Business & Labor: to work on Paid Sick & Family Leave, wages, and to get rid of Right to Work and At-Will Employment.

Transportation& Telecommunications: to work on rural internet services and modern rail systems.

If you are not currently a member of your party’s leadership in the legislature, would you be interested in joining the leadership? If so, in what role?

In our non-partisan legislature, there is no party leadership.

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

I would like to model Senator Cavanaugh's emotion, Senator Pansing-Brooks' poise, and Senator Chambers' wit.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

No. The Nebraska Unicameral is a remarkably interesting place. Only 49 people make decisions that impact every Nebraskan. Just on the numbers, 1 out of 49 is so much more impactful than 1 out of 435. Districts are also roughly 40,000 people and having 40k bosses seems much less stressful than 700,000.

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Footnotes

[show]

Current members of the Nebraska State Senate

Leadership

Senate President:John Arch

Senators

District 1

Robert Hallstrom (R)

District 2

Robert Clements (R)

District 3

Victor Rountree (N)

District 4

R. von Gillern (R)

District 5

Margo Juarez (D)

District 6

Machaela Cavanaugh (D)

District 7

Dunixi Guereca (D)

District 8

Megan Hunt (N)

District 9

John Cavanaugh (D)

District 10

Wendy DeBoer (D)

District 11

Terrell McKinney (D)

District 12

Merv Riepe (R)

District 13

Ashlei Spivey (D)

District 14

John Arch (R)

District 15

Dave Wordekemper (R)

District 16

Ben Hansen (R)

District 17

Glen Meyer (R)

District 18

Christy Armendariz (R)

District 19

Rob Dover (R)

District 20

John Fredrickson (D)

District 21

Beau Ballard (R)

District 22

Mike Moser (R)

District 23

Jared Storm (R)

District 24

Jana Hughes (R)

District 25

Carolyn Bosn (R)

District 26

George Dungan (D)

District 27

Jason Prokop (D)

District 28

Jane Raybould (D)

District 29

Eliot Bostar (D)

District 30

Myron Dorn (R)

District 31

Kathleen Kauth (R)

District 32

Tom Brandt (R)

District 33

Dan Lonowski (R)

District 34

Loren Lippincott (R)

District 35

Dan Quick (D)

District 36

Rick Holdcroft (R)

District 37

Stanley Clouse (R)

District 38

Dave Murman (R)

District 39

Tony Sorrentino (R)

District 40

Barry DeKay (R)

District 41

Daniel McKeon (R)

District 42

Michael Jacobson (R)

District 43

Tanya Storer (R)

District 44

Teresa Ibach (R)

District 45

Rita Sanders (R)

District 46

Danielle Conrad (D)

District 47

Paul Strommen (R)

District 48

Brian Hardin (R)

District 49

Bob Andersen (R)

Republican Party (33)

Democratic Party (14)

Nonpartisan (2)