{{Short description|American politician (born 1988)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=December 2022}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Matt Gress | image = Matt Gress by Gage Skidmore.jpg | state_house = Arizona | district = 4th | alongside = Pamela Carter | term_start = January 9, 2023 | term_end = | predecessor = Joel John | successor = | birth_name = Matthew Owen Gress | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1988|7|8}} | birth_place = Oklahoma, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | party = Republican | education = University of Oklahoma (BA)<br>Syracuse University (MPA) | signature = Matt Gress Signature.png | website = {{url|mattgress.com|Campaign website}} }} '''Matthew Owen Gress'''<ref>{{cite web |title=Matt Gress for Arizona House |url=https://www.mattgress.com |access-date=2025-07-27 |website=Matt Gress for Arizona House |language=en-US}}</ref> (born July{{nbsp}}8, 1988) is an American politician and Republican member of the Arizona House of Representatives elected to represent District 4 in 2022.
==Early career and education== Gress grew up in rural Oklahoma in a trailer park, the youngest of four children of a divorced mother,<ref>https://www.mattgress.com/</ref> and graduated from the University of Oklahoma, where he was selected for the Harry S. Truman Scholarship.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mattgress.com/#meetmatt |title=Meet Matt |access-date=April 8, 2023 |publisher=Matt Gress for State Representative}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/2009/04/05/ou-scholar-matthew-gress-wheels-are-turning/61435465007/ |title=OU scholar Matthew Gress' wheels are turning |publisher=The Oklahoman |access-date=April 8, 2023 |date=April 5, 2009}}</ref> Gress was accepted into the Teach for America program, and he gained certification to teach in English, history, government and economics.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://ibb.co/FJtjPpw | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230717215847/https://ibb.co/FJtjPpw | url-status=usurped | archive-date=July 17, 2023 | title=Gress hosted at ImgBB }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/philboas/2023/02/21/republican-matt-gress-wants-help-teacher-pay-democrats-reject-idea/69926889007/ |title=Arizona Democrats have a Republican they can work with. They're telling him to kiss off |publisher=The Arizona Republic |access-date=April 8, 2023 |date=February 21, 2009}}</ref> He also received his master's degree from Syracuse University.
In Arizona, Gress worked as an analyst for the non-partisan Joint Legislative Budget Committee, and later as Director of the Governor's Office of Strategic Planning and Budgeting, under former Governor Doug Ducey.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://kdminer.com/news/2021/dec/30/duceys-budget-director-matt-gress-running-state-ho/ |title=Ducey's budget director Matt Gress running for state House |publisher=The Miner |access-date=January 7, 2023 |date=December 30, 2021 |agency=Associated Press}}</ref> From 2017 until 2021, Gress served as a governing board member in the Madison Elementary School District, in central Phoenix.<ref name="nyt-healy-24"/> Gress is openly gay.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mattgress.com/#meetmatt |title=Meet Matt |access-date=January 7, 2023 |publisher=Matt Gress for State Representative}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://southfloridagaynews.com/National/first-openly-gay-gop-former-member-of-u-s-house-dies-at-80.html |title=First Openly Gay GOP Former Member of US House Dies at 80 |publisher=SFGN |access-date=January 7, 2023 |date=December 5, 2022 |author=Levesque, Brody}}</ref>
==Elections== In the 2022 general election, Gress was elected to the legislature, becoming the top vote getter in District 4 with 61,527 votes.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://elections.maricopa.gov/asset/jcr:b4cf8c23-01e6-4a18-8a77-96e5cb34cb0a/11-08-2022-0%20Canvass%20COMPLETE.pdf |title=Maricopa County Official Results |publisher=Maricopa County Elections Department |access-date=April 8, 2023 |date=November 8, 2022 |author=Kmack, Sam}}</ref>
Gress served with Democrat Laura Terech, who came in second with 59,292 votes. Former Republican state Representative Maria Syms came in third in the general election, falling short with 56,383 votes.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/elections/2022/10/11/arizona-house-district-2-matt-gress-laura-terech-top-issues/8209011001/ |title=Where Arizona House candidates Matt Gress and Laura Terech stand on key issues for District 4 |publisher=The Arizona Republic |access-date=December 10, 2022 |date=October 11, 2022 |author=Kmack, Sam}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://yourvalley.net/stories/update-terech-gress-lead-in-race-for-ld4-arizona-house-seats,341392 |title=Update: Terech, Gress lead in race for LD4 Arizona House seats |publisher=Daily Independent |access-date=December 10, 2022 |date=November 14, 2022}}</ref>
==Tenure== One of Gress' key campaign pledges was a plan to raise teacher pay by $10,000 per Arizona teacher.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mattgress.com/matt-gress-announces-pay-teachers-first-plan |title=Matt Gress Announces "Pay Teachers First" Plan |access-date=April 8, 2023 |publisher=Matt Gress for State Representative}}</ref> Gress introduced his Pay Teachers First Plan in January 2023.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/philboas/2023/02/21/republican-matt-gress-wants-help-teacher-pay-democrats-reject-idea/69926889007/ |title=Arizona Democrats have a Republican they can work with. They're telling him to kiss off |publisher=The Arizona Republic |access-date=April 8, 2023 |date=February 21, 2023}}</ref>
Gress also sponsored by a bill to provide financial assistance to residents of mobile homes if they are told to vacate their homes due to redevelopment efforts.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.azmirror.com/blog/bipartisan-bill-to-help-mobile-home-park-residents-advances/ |title=Bipartisan bill to help mobile home park residents advances |publisher=Arizona Mirror |access-date=April 8, 2023 |date= February 1, 2023 }}</ref> The bill was signed into law by Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://kjzz.org/content/1842927/hobbs-signs-legislation-law-helps-forced-out-mobile-home-residents |title=Hobbs signs legislation into law that helps forced-out mobile home residents |publisher=KJZZ |access-date=April 8, 2023 |date= March 31, 2023 }}</ref>
In the wake of the 2024 ''Planned Parenthood Arizona v. Mayes'' ruling that upheld an 1864 near-total abortion ban over a more recent law passed in 2022 that outlined a 15-week ban, Gress became one of the biggest advocates calling for its repeal. He was the sole Republican in the Arizona House to vote to repeal over three instances, being joined by fellow Republicans Justin Wilmeth and Tim Dunn, on the latter to repeal the ban alongside all Democrats.<ref name="nyt-healy-24">{{cite news |last1=Healy |first1=Jack |title=Arizona Republicans Who Supported Repealing an Abortion Ban Face Blowback |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/25/us/abortion-ban-arizona.html |work=The New York Times |date=April 25, 2024}}</ref> He was later removed from his House committee role.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/4619080-arizona-lawmakers-booted-committees-abortion-ban-repeal/|title=Arizona GOP lawmaker booted from committee after backing abortion ban repeal|last=Choi |first=Joseph |date=April 24, 2024|work=The Hill}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * [https://ballotpedia.org/Matt_Gress Biography] at Ballotpedia
{{Arizona House of Representatives}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gress, Matt}} Category:21st-century members of the Arizona State Legislature Category:1988 births Category:American gay politicians Category:American LGBTQ conservatives Category:LGBTQ state legislators in Arizona Category:Living people Category:People from Scottsdale, Arizona Category:Republican Party members of the Arizona House of Representatives
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