Matthew Gagnon

Matthew Owen Gagnon (born December 10, 1980) is an American think tank executive, political strategist and writer from Maine. He is the chief executive officer of the Maine Policy Institute, a free market think tank based in Portland, Maine.[1] He previously was the director of digital strategy for the Republican Governors Association.[2] Gagnon is a columnist for the Bangor Daily News, writing about Maine and national politics for the paper since August 2011,[3] and is also currently the host of the morning show on Portland's largest talk-radio station, WGAN.[4]

Matthew Gagnon
Born (1980-12-10) December 10, 1980
Walnut Creek, California, United States
Alma materUniversity of Maine
OccupationThink tank executive, political strategist, writer, radio host
EmployerMaine Policy Institute
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Erin Gagnon
Children4

Early life and education

Gagnon grew up in Hampden, Maine, a suburb of Bangor in Penobscot County, Maine.

After graduating from Hampden Academy, he went on to pursue a degree in political science at the University of Maine.[5] While there, he became active in campus politics, joining the student government and becoming Chairman of the University of Maine College Republicans. He later served as the President of the University of Maine General Student Senate,[6] as well as the President of Student Government.[7] In 2003, the school recognized him with the Student Affairs Citation for Meritorious Service to the University.[8] In his final year, he would make an unsuccessful run to represent Old Town in the Maine House of Representatives.[9][10]

Career

In 2006, Gagnon moved to the Washington, D.C. area to pursue a career in politics. After a two-year stint as an Intelligence Analyst for an Annapolis based private security firm, he moved on to the public affairs practice of a social media marketing agency, New Media Strategies.[11] Here, he worked with a number of political campaigns, corporations and interest groups, helping them leverage technology for use in politics.[12]

Republican strategist

In early 2010, he was named Deputy Director of Digital Strategy for the National Republican Senatorial Committee.[5] Here, he helped coordinate and direct the digital campaign strategy for 37 United States Senate races across the country.[13] At the conclusion of the election, Gagnon became the Director of New Media Communications for United States Senator Susan Collins.[14]

The Republican Governors Association named Gagnon its Director of Digital Strategy in January 2012. At the RGA, he was responsible for the committee's strategic digital initiatives in support of sitting Republican governors, as well as those campaigning for office. During the 2012 Wisconsin gubernatorial recall election, Gagnon was recognized for his use of digital strategies on Walker's behalf, and for what he called the practice of using "smart data", or political data being leveraged in detailed, specific ways to persuade and turn out voters.[15][16] During his tenure at the RGA, Gagnon was recognized by Business Insider as one of the top 50 digital strategists in the country,[15] and by Campaigns and Elections as one of the top ten communicators in politics.[17]

Maine Policy Center

In August 2014, Gagnon was named the new Chief Executive Officer of the Maine Heritage Policy Center, which later changed its name to the Maine Policy Institute.[1] Founded in 2002, the Maine Policy Institute is a free-market think tank that advocates for fiscally conservative policies in Maine. It is a member of the State Policy Network.

Personal

Gagnon is married to Erin Gagnon, a teacher, with whom he has four children.[18][19] In 2013, he was involved in a serious car accident, which broke his back, requiring him to have spinal fusion surgery to repair the damage.[20]

References
  1. Moretto, Mario (August 20, 2014). "Maine native Matt Gagnon returns from DC to lead Maine Heritage Policy Center". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  2. "Matthew Gagnon To Lead Conservative Advocacy Group". Maine's News, Sports, And Weather Leader - WABI TV5. Archived from the original on 20 October 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  3. "All parties foolish in hyperbolic voting debate".
  4. "Head of conservative Maine think tank will co-host WGAN morning show". 2016-06-17.
  5. "The University of Maine - Political Science - After UMaine". Umaine.edu. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  6. "Gagnon remains VP, barely". The Maine Campus. Archived from the original on 2 November 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  7. "Student government president resigns". The Maine Campus. Archived from the original on 2 November 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  8. "Matthew Gagnon : Chief Executive Officer at Maine Heritage Policy Center". Linkedin.com. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  9. "General Election, November 2, 2004 - Tabulations - State Representative (Secretary of State, State of Maine, U.S.A.)". Maine.gov. Archived from the original on 20 March 2010. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  10. "UM alum aspires to fill Old Town seat". The Maine Campus. Archived from the original on 2 November 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  11. David Carkhuff. "Gagnon tapped as new CEO of Maine Heritage Policy Center". Portland Daily Sun. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  12. Grondin, Matt (November 4, 2013). "FTS Q&A: Matthew Gagnon (Part 1)". Fill the Steins. Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  13. "Matthew Gagnon". Personaldemocracy.com. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  14. "Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) - Staff salaries from LegiStorm". Legistorm.com. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  15. "DIGITAL 50: The Hottest People In Online Politics - Business Insider". Business Insider. 21 February 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  16. https://web.archive.org/web/20130829205352/http://www.progressive.org/republican_governors_assoc_framed_recall.html. Archived from the original on August 29, 2013. Retrieved November 1, 2014. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  17. "The Influencers 50: Communicators". Campaignsandelections.com. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  18. "Bangorpedia.com". Bangorpedia.com. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  19. "A letter to my daughter as we await you". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  20. "BDN columnist Matt Gagnon hurt in car crash". The Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
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