CONTRIBUTOR
REGIONAL PERSPECTIVES / NATIONAL IMPACT
Matt Mitchell
Member For
31 weeks 5 days
BIOGRAPHY
Matt Mitchell was born on 20 May 1988 in Sarasota, Florida. A first-generation Floridian, his parents sent him through Catholic school in Venice, where he would be picked up each day just in time to catch the last few minutes of Rush Limbaugh on the radio five days a week. He would become the first of four current or soon-to-be Republican super voters raised by his parents, who are eagerly anticipating thank you checks from the RNC for their handiwork. Matt was a scholar-athlete in high school, doubling as a cross country and track runner, and was accepted at the University of Florida in 2006. He graduated in August 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science.
While at UF, Matt was a member of the College Republicans at the University of Florida, and helped found a conservative student news magazine called The Florida Frontier. After serving as Managing Editor for a year, Matt spent most of 2008 back in Sarasota serving as a full-time staffer for Congressman Vern Buchanan’s re-election campaign, helping the freshman Republican turn a 369 vote win in 2006 into a 55,000 vote rout in ’08. While campaigning, Matt befriended Sarasota RedCounty editor Rich Swier, who recommended giving RC a shot as a Diarist, and is now heading up RedCounty’s Alachua County edition.
Matt is currently single and lives in Gainesville, Florida.
COMMENTARIES
RPOF cleans house.
By Matt Mitchell | 06/03/09
The Republican Party of Florida has shuffled its top staff positions around a little bit, with its main divisions getting some new department heads. According to RPOF's press release this morning: "Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer today announced staff changes for the RPOF Political, Finance, Field Operations and Communications Departments. The Chairman appointed Bret Prater, a veteran political operative, to serve as... read more »
0 Comments | Related Topics »FLORIDA |
Liveblogging: NJ Governor's Primary!
By Matt Mitchell | 06/02/09
Gonna give liveblogging election results another shot tonight as the much-anticipated Republican primary for the New Jersey Governor's seat comes to a close. Who will prevail, establishment candidate and former US Attorney Chris Christie or conservative firebrand Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan (yes, I know, state representative Steve Merkt is running, but he's not going to win, deal with it). But I'm a nice guy, and would never keep all the fun to... read more »
0 Comments | Related Topics »National |
Playboy Article a Masterpiece of Stupid.
By Matt Mitchell | 06/02/09
So Playboy.com got itself into a veritable [insert pornographic term of choice] of trouble. Hugh Hefner's once-vaunted journal of intellectualism punctuated with classy nude photography saw its online operation tainted by a now-removed article listing 10 conservative women that they would love to "hate****" (site standards prevent me from using anything more than the occasional hell, damn or ass). The women on this list, with the... read more »
Another I Love Rush story.
By Matt Mitchell | 05/31/09
Lloyd Marcus put it so well in his column on Rush's impact on his life, I felt compelled to jump on the old bandwagon and offer my personal story about Rush. If anything, I would submit that my life story with El Rushbo could be retold by millions of kids in my generation, a testament to the positive impact that a man who would be the first to tell you is a deeply flawed one has had on so many people in America. For better or worse, the next... read more »
0 Comments | Related Topics »FLORIDA |
The cost of job security
By Matt Mitchell | 05/30/09
I'm a fair-minded person. And my mother can attest that I will play devil's advocate so well you will want to grab me by the throat and throw my head through a brick wall (and I'm not a big guy, so you really can pull that off). I am especially forgiving of indiscretions and happy to give people a second chance, and am an irritating apologist for the way things are in Washington, because I am a firm believer in the notion that by and large we do... read more »
2 Comments | Related Topics »FLORIDA |
Brown for Senate update.
By Matt Mitchell | 05/30/09
It appears that Kenneth Quinnell and I were on to something yesterday when we mentioned news that US Representative Corrine Brown (D-Jacksonville) is looking into running for Florida's open Senate seat in 2010. Jared Halpern at WOKV in Jacksonville caught up with Congresswoman Brown at her annual job fair and learned that her campaign had commissioned a poll for some statewide office. Brown, who has not had a contested election for her 3rd... read more »
0 Comments | Related Topics »Alachua County (FL) |
RedCounty Alachua gets Twitterpated
By Matt Mitchell | 05/29/09
Red County Alachua is following in the footsteps of its humble Editor and giving social media the old college try. Please follow us at RCAlachua, where we'll be linking you to all the latest stories from our edition along with all of RedCounty's featured columns. Looking forward to hearing from you and getting more readers who enjoy our brand here at RedCounty! read more »
Brown for Senate?
By Matt Mitchell | 05/29/09
Ken Quinnell, a Tallahassee-based blogger for the Florida Progressive Coalition and a fan favorite to us former and current Vern Buchanan staffers alike, dropped a line on his Twitter feed saying that Congresswoman Corrinne Brown (D-Jacksonville) might be thinking about running for the Democratic nomination for US Senate in 2010. Brown represents a majority-minority district that runs from Jacksonville to north Orlando and is truly a work of... read more »
0 Comments | Related Topics »Alachua County (FL) |
Election Pulse: Florida - Cabinet Races
By Matt Mitchell | 05/28/09
As promised, this week's edition of Election Pulse: Florida is up and running. Today, I'm discussing the open races for Florida's three elected Cabinet officers. Next week, I'll be highlighting some of Florida's more competitive state house and senate elections. But for now, check out this week's edition. Comments and suggestions on format/style always appreciated. read more »
Crist signs off on budget
By Matt Mitchell | 05/28/09
Just as I was about to get warmed up for a new Election Pulse: Florida video, a Rubio campaign press release popped into my inbox about the budget issue in Florida. As expected, Governor Crist signed the legislature's budget into law today, which included over $10 billion in tax and fee hikes. This comes on the heels of Crist's signing of a "no new taxes" campaign pledge. Crist, apparently mindful of his pledge, promised today that... read more »
0 Comments | Related Topics »FLORIDA |
RECOMMENDED SITES
