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Matthew Gordon
From Ballotpedia
This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
Matthew Gordon (Republican Party) ran for election to the California State Assembly to represent District 47. He lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.
Gordon completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Matthew Gordon was born in Los Angeles, California. He pursued his undergraduate education at Chaffey College and the University of California, Riverside. Gordon' career experience includes working as a sergeant with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.[1]
Elections
2020
See also: California State Assembly elections, 2020
General election
General election for California State Assembly District 47
Incumbent Eloise Gomez Reyes defeated Matthew Gordon in the general election for California State Assembly District 47 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Eloise Gomez Reyes (D) | 69.0 | 109,635 |
Matthew Gordon (R)  | 31.0 | 49,170 | ||
| Total votes: 158,805 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for California State Assembly District 47
Incumbent Eloise Gomez Reyes and Matthew Gordon advanced from the primary for California State Assembly District 47 on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Eloise Gomez Reyes (D) | 71.0 | 45,618 |
| ✔ | Matthew Gordon (R) | 29.0 | 18,649 | |
| Total votes: 64,267 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Matthew Gordon completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Gordon's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I began my service to the community as a teenager where I volunteered for several community events, through the Associated Student Body at my high school. I knew I wanted to serve others and began my law enforcement career at 17-years-old when I became an Explorer for the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. I am proud to be a current San Bernardino County Deputy Sheriff, holding the rank of Sergeant. I have worked in many communities, many different assignments, and have been a part of the hiring and training processes for the department. I have seen first-hand how many of our current issues, such as Prop 47, Prop 57, and AB109, as well as homelessness, a housing shortage, and many other government-created issues, have plagued our communities.
I grew up with an interest in government and public service. In February 2019, I was appointed to the Parks, Community, and Human Services Commission for the City of Fontana by Mayor Acquanetta Warren and the City Council. I have a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science from the University of California, Riverside and am a graduate of the 165th session of the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Frank Bland Regional Training Center. I am a member of the Fontana Rotary and involved in my community. My wife is also a Deputy Sheriff and we have three young children.
- Common sense not politics. It is time for a change in our government. We should have leaders who put our needs above that of theirs.
- Increase public safety. Many recent laws have had a negative impact on our state. We must change that and foster partnership with law enforcement. We don't have enough people who want to be cops right now and that must change. Similarly, I believe a multi-prong approach to homelessness including mental health services, medical services, law enforcement, frequent contacts, and housing is needed to move us in s better direction.
- I am a regular guy just like the majority of those in my district. I want to help people have an easier time putting food on the table, have a comfortable quality of life, and believe they can leave a better world to their children than we have now.
I am passionate about lowering taxes to help people have a better quality of life. Our people are taxed far too much and this negatively impacts the average person as well as our businesses. We can benefit both communities by lowering taxes. Our state government has a spending problem and not a revenue problem. I am passionate about the ability of people to make decisions for their own lives (you know what is best for you not the government). Government exists to do for people what they can't do for themselves. I am passionate about public safety, and I am passionate about the involvement of public officials in their communities. We should partner with our communities to show support for law enforcement and work together to understand why everyone feels the way they do. People have to trust their cops and their cops have to trust them. We are all human! We need to get back to citizen-based leadership where our government officials work for us and we trust them. I believe it is time for a new direction. Regular people like us should be representing us, not the Republican or Democrat way, but the way that is best for us. I believe that is usually a middle ground approach. Our government now changes ballot titles to fool voters and we must get back to straight forward ethical leadership.
The characteristics and principles that are most important, in my mind, for every person, and especially public official, are ethics / morals, leadership a desire to better others, selflessness, intelligence, a strong work ethic, decisiveness, the ability to listen and work with others from other view points, approachable, and being genuinely interested in people. The electorate should be able to assume their elected offiicials are ethical, moral, set an example for others to follow, are available to address their concerns, and are always working on behalf of the majority of their district. I believe truly successful leaders are not trying to benefit themselves, but others, and, in doing so, end up making a major difference in the world. We need more true servant leaders who give of themselves.
I want to leave a better world for our children. I want to be looked at as the person who gave of himself to better others, who voted for what was best for his district even if it was not what he personally believed in, as the person who worked tirelessly for others, and brought common sense back to our government. I truly want to work with Democrats to better everyone! I want the average person to say I made their lives better, I want businesses to be able to say I created a business friendly climate (or at least helped to make it better) and I want people to say they trusted my judgment, found me to truly care about them, and wanted to vote for or follow me. In public safety, respect from employees and other leads is earned by the way you treat them and how you act in times of challenge and controvery. I have been the person to lead in those moments and I can do so for our state. I know I can be part of a more moderate approach to government in this state.
The first historical event I remember is 9/11. I remember how stunned and angry I was even as a teenage high school student. I knew that I wanted to protect others just as many heroes did that day and during the armed conflict that followed. I remember how proud I was of our President and how unified our country was in the days that followed. I wish our country could unify like that without lives having to be lost. There were mistakes in the years that came after but the initial unity was palpable.
My first job was as a little league baseball umpire. I volunteered part of the time and got paid part of the time. I loved working around the kids and baseball. The times that I volunteered it was nice to give back. I did this for a few seasons.
I would want to be Elizabeth McCord in Madam Secretary. She truly works for everyone in the show. Although I don't agree with some of her decisions on the show, she embodies many of the qualities I feel leaders should have. She is good to others, more concerned withe others than herself, humble, smart, and willing to take the heat for what she beleives is truly right.
"Won't Stop Now" by Elevation Worship and "Eyes On You" by Chase Rice
California is at a crossroads and we will face numerous challenges over the next decade. We have some of the highest tax rates, and cost of living, in the nation, a divided populice predominately ruled by one side of the aisle, significant difficulties in public safety, a need to address homelessness, and a lack of affordable housing to start with. We must come together and find a middle ground approach. Most of these issues are complicated, will take time, multiple moving parts, and the political will to fix.
Yes! To me this is a no brainer... we elect legislators to work on our behalf, for our good and not theirs. In order to do that, good legislators must network with others for many reasons. First, different areas of our state have different views. Getting to know their representative (assuming that person puts their district's needs first) is very beneficial to understanding how you can help support them, even if you disagree with it. Second, personal relationships, and a mutual trust and belief, help our legislators to get things done on our behalf. Lastly, members of opposite parties, or factions within their own party, must be at the table together working to find a middle ground solution. It has been my experience that some healthy disagreement, and differing view points in a conversation, usually lead to better, more well thought out decisions.
I would be willing and able to serve on any committee. Usually, newer legislators and not given the most popular committee assignments. However, if given my choice, I would want to be on committees dealing predominately with taxes / spending, public safety, judiciary, business, and ethics. I believe my experience and desire to work with others would allow me to work with people of varying viewpoints, in any assignment, but these would be my first choices.
Absolutely! There are many but I would choose Ronald Reagan. From my knowledge of his governorship and presidency, I believe his heart was in the right place. While conservative, he made decisions that were, at times, not always popular with his own party. He was willing to say the truth even when it wasn't popular and stuck to have he believed in while still working well with others. He believed in conservative fiscal policies (Reaganomics), the importance of individual accountability, particularly in public safety, and I view him as a champion of family values. II value those skills and beliefs.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2020 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on February 22, 2020
Current members of the California State Assembly
Leadership
Majority Leader:Cecilia Aguiar-Curry
Minority Leader:James Gallagher
Representatives
District 1
Heather Hadwick (R)
District 2
Chris Rogers (D)
District 3
James Gallagher (R)
District 4
District 5
Joe Patterson (R)
District 6
Maggy Krell (D)
District 7
Josh Hoover (R)
District 8
David Tangipa (R)
District 9
Heath Flora (R)
District 10
Stephanie Nguyen (D)
District 11
Lori Wilson (D)
District 12
Damon Connolly (D)
District 13
Rhodesia Ransom (D)
District 14
Buffy Wicks (D)
District 15
District 16
District 17
Matt Haney (D)
District 18
Mia Bonta (D)
District 19
District 20
Liz Ortega (D)
District 21
Diane Papan (D)
District 22
Juan Alanis (R)
District 23
Marc Berman (D)
District 24
Alex Lee (D)
District 25
Ash Kalra (D)
District 26
Patrick Ahrens (D)
District 27
Esmeralda Soria (D)
District 28
Gail Pellerin (D)
District 29
Robert Rivas (D)
District 30
Dawn Addis (D)
District 31
Joaquin Arambula (D)
District 32
Stan Ellis (R)
District 33
Alexandra Macedo (R)
District 34
Tom Lackey (R)
District 35
Jasmeet Bains (D)
District 36
Jeff Gonzalez (R)
District 37
Gregg Hart (D)
District 38
Steve Bennett (D)
District 39
Juan Carrillo (D)
District 40
Pilar Schiavo (D)
District 41
John Harabedian (D)
District 42
Jacqui Irwin (D)
District 43
District 44
Nick Schultz (D)
District 45
James Ramos (D)
District 46
Jesse Gabriel (D)
District 47
Greg Wallis (R)
District 48
Blanca Rubio (D)
District 49
Mike Fong (D)
District 50
Robert Garcia (D)
District 51
Rick Zbur (D)
District 52
Jessica Caloza (D)
District 53
District 54
Mark Gonzalez (D)
District 55
Isaac Bryan (D)
District 56
Lisa Calderon (D)
District 57
Sade Elhawary (D)
District 58
Leticia Castillo (R)
District 59
Phillip Chen (R)
District 60
Corey Jackson (D)
District 61
Tina McKinnor (D)
District 62
Jose Solache (D)
District 63
Natasha Johnson (R)
District 64
Blanca Pacheco (D)
District 65
Mike Gipson (D)
District 66
Al Muratsuchi (D)
District 67
District 68
Avelino Valencia (D)
District 69
Josh Lowenthal (D)
District 70
Tri Ta (R)
District 71
Kate Sanchez (R)
District 72
Diane Dixon (R)
District 73
District 74
Laurie Davies (R)
District 75
Carl DeMaio (R)
District 76
Darshana Patel (D)
District 77
Tasha Horvath (D)
District 78
Christopher Ward (D)
District 79
District 80
David Alvarez (D)
Democratic Party (60)
Republican Party (20)
