Matt Mitchell
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Matthew James ("Matt") Mitchell (born 20 May 1968, died 2 February 2013) was a Republican Senator from Florida and Chairman of the Republican National Committee.
| ||||
| United States Senator, RNC Chairman | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| In Office: 3 January 2005-February 2013 | ||||
| Constituency | Florida | |||
| Preceded by | Mel Martinez | |||
| Succeeded by | incumbent | |||
| Born | 20 May 1968 Sarasota, Florida | |||
| Political Party | Republican | |||
| Spouse | single | |||
| Religion | Roman Catholic | |||
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[edit] Senatorial Career
Senator Mitchell was sworn in as Senator on 3 January 2005. He quickly established himself as an active, charismatic Senator, making stands for making the Bush tax cuts of 2001 and 2003 permanent. In January of 2007, he ascended to the Chairmanship of the Republican National Committee (RNC), and in 2008, became the Senior Senator of the United States following the retirement of Sen. Sophie Alliot (D-NY). Upon the ascension of Elizabeth Warren (R-PA) to the Presidency, he became one of Lady Warren's most trusted associates in the Senate, leading the GOP to a majority in the US Senate in 2008. He traveled to Seoul, South Korea with the President and Congressional leaders in 2009 to call on North Korean President Kim Jong-Il to stop his nuclear arms development. He also worked behind the scenes to encourage the passing of President Warren's budget, which balanced the federal budget in 2010. He stood as one of the more popular, powerful, and recognizable Senators in the country, with approval ratings nearing the 60th percentile at the time of his death in due to starvation in 2013.
[edit] Political Ideology
Mitchell was a mainstream conservative Republican politician on most of the hot button issues of the day. He was strongly in support of gun rights, supported heavy restrictions on abortion along with parental notification laws. He also was somewhat hawkish on national defense, a leading voice of support for President Warren's aggressive policies against terrorism and nuclear proliferation. He was especially conservative on taxation and monetary policy, and was at the head of initiatives to retain the Bush tax cuts as well as cuts to the federal gas tax and other taxes.
However, he has proved to have a strong amount of appeal to independents on other wedge issues, specifically the environment. He introduced legislation to restore the Everglades, as well as a bill to research rising tides and climate change.
[edit] 2010 Florida Senate Race
Senator Mitchell was slated for reelection in 2010, and was widely expected to win easily against any opponent the state party put at him. A popular incumbent who also offered strong independent appeal on environmental and crime issues, Mitchell was predicted to coast to reelection. He was pitted against Sophie Jackson (D-FL), a social worker from Fort Lauderdale. Running on a platform called "The Spirit of Florida", Mitchell touted his record on taxes, the budget, Social Security, national security and the environment. Mitchell defeated Jackson in a landslide, the 33 point margin of victory assured after Ms. Jackson made some unflattering, if not humorous remarks about the unmarried Senator's wife.
[edit] Matt Mitchell Day
Matt was the first Senator of USG Reset 6 to have a day named in his memory by a regional government. In 2012, the Dixie Legislature, with the support of Governor Halfhyde, named May 20th Senator Matt Mitchell Day in Florida.
[edit] Personal Life
The 44-year-old Senator never married, and had not been in a relationship since 2003, when he parted ways with girlfriend Felicity Carmichael, a fellow political science professor at New College of Florida.
[edit] Education
- B.A. Political Science, University of Florida, 1990
- M.A. Political Science, Vanderbilt University, 1992
- Ph.D Political Science, Vanderbilt University, 1993
[edit] Occupations
- Teaching Assistant, Vanderbilt University, 1991-1993
- Assistant Professor of Political Science, New College of Florida, 1993-1998
- Tenured Professor of Political Science, New College of Florida, 1998-2004
[edit] Political Experience
- Senior Senator of Florida, United States Senate, 2005-2013
- Chairman, Republican National Committee, 2007-2013
- Senior Senator of the United States, 2008-2013
[edit] Attributes
- Fundraising - 2
- Integrity - 1
- Bulldog - 1
- Organization - 1
- Charisma - 1
- Attractiveness - 1
- Moderate - 1
- Persuasiveness - 1
