Matthew Gagnon

Matthew Gagnon
Born	(1980-12-10) December 10, 1980 Walnut Creek, California, United States
Alma mater	University of Maine
Occupation	Think tank executive, political strategist, writer, radio host
Employer	Maine Heritage Policy Center
Political party	Republican
Religion	Roman Catholic
Spouse(s)	Erin Gagnon
Children	3

Matthew Owen Gagnon (born December 10, 1980) is an American think tank executive, political strategist and writer from Maine. He currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of The Maine Heritage Policy Center, a free market think tank based in Portland, Maine.^[1] He previously served as 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]

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 Heritage Policy Center

In August 2014, Gagnon was named the new Chief Executive Officer of The Maine Heritage Policy Center.^[1] Founded in 2002, Maine Heritage 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 three 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