Featured Voice of the Texas GOP: Matt Rinaldi

Matt Rinaldi is a candidate for Texas House District 115. Matt Rinaldi, the son of an Italian immigrant and public school teacher, has been active in Republican politics for approximately 20 years. As a student at James Madison University, he made national news for his efforts to have the Pledge of Allegiance recited before student government meetings. Matt was the 2010 Republican nominee for Judge of the 191st District Court, and earned approximately 20,000 votes in the HD 115 portion of Dallas County. He currently serves as Vice President of Programs for the Greater Irving Republican Club, is an Associate Member of the Irving Republican Women, and member of the Dallas County Young Republicans. He has been an active participant in both the Dallas and Irving/Coppell Tea Parties since their inception, and served as co-chairman of the Media Committee for the April 2009 Dallas Tax Day Tea Party.

Rinaldi attended James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, where he graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Economics. He continued his studies at Boston University School of Law, where he earned his Juris Doctor, cum laude, in 2001. Upon receiving his law degree, Matt accepted a position as a litigation associate with the Dallas office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, one of the nation's premier law firms that is perhaps best-known for its successful representation of President George W. Bush in the U.S. Supreme Court case of Bush v. Gore, which effectively determined the result of the contested 2000 election.

Matt has provided legal commentary on FoxNews Radio affiliate stations throughout the country. A strong advocate of tort reform, he is currently a commercial litigation attorney with the law firm of Miller, Egan, Molter & Nelson, LLP. He was selected as a Texas Monthly Super Lawyers Rising Star in 2006 and 2007.

As one who believes in giving back to his community, Matt represented under-privileged families in the "Adoption Saturday" project, a program developed to speed the adoption of abused and neglected children in Dallas County. As a member of the Rotary Club of Downtown Dallas in 2004, Matt chaired the Ambassadorial Scholarship Committee, which selected candidates for a Rotary scholarship to study abroad. Matt also was a two time judge for the Rotary High School Speech Competition and the National High School Mock Trial Tournament. He is a member of the Leadership Irving/Las Colinas class of 2010.

Matt and his wife, Corley, attend St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in Dallas. In his spare time, Matt enjoys playing ice hockey and studying American history.

“As State Representative I will be a principled conservative with clear, consistent, conservative positions. I will do everything in my power to protect the sanctity of life, secure our borders, promote excellence in education, and protect our Second Amendment freedoms."