Matt Mitchell
From Usgovsimulation
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| Republican Party | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | ||||
| Began Present Office: 2011 | ||||
| State | Florida | |||
| Superregion | Gulf Coast | |||
| Previous Offices | State Senator | |||
| Born | 20 May 1971 Sarasota, FL | |||
| Spouse | Kate Watkins | |||
| Religion | Roman Catholic | |||
| Residence | Sarasota, FL | |||
| Occupation | Auto executive | |||
| Education | ||||
Matthew James "Matt" Mitchell (born 20 May 1971) is an American politician from Florida, currently serving as the Governor of the Gulf Coast region of the United States. He is a member of the Republican Party.
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Biography
A rare Sarasota native, Matt Mitchell was born in 1971 to Iowan parents. He graduated from Riverview High School in 1988, and picked up his BA in Economics from the Warrington College of Business at the University of Florida in 1992. He earned an MBA from Wharton in 1995 and returned to Sarasota for a job in the operations office of Sarasota Ford, where he quickly caught the eye of the Buchanan Automotive Group, who had just taken up the dealership as its base of operations. In 1999, he rose to General Manager of Sarasota Ford, and was elected to his first term as Chairman of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce.
In 2002, Mitchell ran for and won a hotly contested race for 69th District seat in the Florida House of Representatives. He was quickly dubbed a rising star in the Florida Republican establishment, and was a natural choice to succeed State Senate President Pro Temp Lisa Carlton from the 23rd Senate District in 2008. He easily defeated Sarasota lawyer Morgan Bentley with 62% of the vote, and is beginning his first term in the State Senate in Tallahassee. His district covers most of Sarasota County, all of Longboat Key, and the western portion of Charlotte County.
When not in Tallahassee, Mitchell serves as the Chief Financial Officer of the Buchanan Auto Group in Sarasota, and lives in the Indian Beach neighborhood near Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport. He has been married to the former Kate Watkins since 1996 and has two sons, Eric William II (b. 1999) and Ronald Vernon "Ronnie" (b. 2002).
Political Career
In 2010, Mitchell ran for Governor of the Gulf Coast, with Ms. Felicity Carmichael of Louisiana for his running mate. He was opposed by Democrat Dan Morey of Arkansas, with Mr. Thomas Zantzinger of Mississippi as his running mate. Running on a shoestring campaign, Mitchell/Carmichael cruised to a win, defeating Morey with 54 percent of the vote.
Governor of the Gulf Coast
2012 Presidential Campaign
Electoral History
| Election Result for Gulf Coast Governor, 2010 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Status | % | |||
| Republican | Matt Mitchell/Felicity Carmichael | Challenger | 54.43% | |||
| Democratic | Dan Morey/Thomas Zantzinger | Challenger | 45.04% | |||
| Election Result for Florida Senate District 23 , 2008 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Status | % | |||
| Republican | Matt Mitchell | Challenger | 62.3% | |||
| Democratic | Morgan R. Bentley | Challenger | 37.7% | |||
