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Georgia Political Papers and Oral History Program

The Georgia Political Papers and Oral History Program is comprised of over 3,000 linear feet of archival collections, along with an extensive number of oral history interviews, that document the unique political culture of the state of Georgia.

Matt Brass

Matt Brass was born on January 19, 1978, and grew up in Newnan, Georgia, attending Newnan High School. After graduating, he served in the U.S. Navy, and then attended the University of Georgia, majoring in Marketing. He entered politics by volunteering for state senator Mitch Seabaugh and then worked as a field representative for U.S. Representative Lynn Westmoreland, for whom he later became chief of staff. Upon Westmoreland's announcement in 2016 that he would not run for re-election, Brass ran for and won a seat in the Georgia state senate. In this interview, Brass talks about his experiences meeting Seabaugh, working for Westmoreland (including Westmoreland's short-lived campaign for Speaker of the House in 2015), running for state senate, and serving in the legislature. He offers general thoughts about his political approach and philosophy throughout the interview and concludes by discussing some of the most important pieces of legislation he has been involved with in the state senate, as well as his experiences working with governors Nathan Deal and Brian Kemp.