Matt Salmon
Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromArizona
In office January 3, 2013 – January 3, 2017
Preceded by	Jeff Flake (redistricted)
Succeeded by	Andy Biggs
Constituency	5th district
In office January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2001
Preceded by	Sam Coppersmith
Succeeded by	Jeff Flake
Constituency	1st district
Chair of theArizona Republican Party
In office 2005–2007
Preceded by	Bob Fannin
Succeeded by	Randy Pullen
Member of theArizona Senate from the21st district
In office January 14, 1991 – January 3, 1995
Preceded by	Jerry Gillespie
Succeeded by	Stan Barnes
Personal details
Born	Matthew James Salmon (1958-01-21)January 21, 1958 (age 67) Salt Lake City,Utah, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Nancy Huish ​ (m. 1981)​
Children	4
Education	Arizona State University, Tempe (BA) Brigham Young University (MPA)
Signature
Website	House website

Matthew James Salmon (born January 21, 1958) is an American politician who served as aU.S. representative fromArizona from 1995 to 2001 and again from 2013 until 2017. A member of theRepublican Party, he retired from office after representingArizona's 5th congressional district. The district is based inMesa and includes most of theEast Valley; he previously representedArizona's 1st congressional district. In2002, he lost by less than 1% toJanet Napolitano in a highly competitivegubernatorial race. He regained a congressional seat in the2012 election.

On February 25, 2016, Salmon announced his retirement from politics.^[1] In June 2016,Arizona State University announced that Salmon would join his undergraduate alma mater as vice president for government affairs in the office of government and community engagement. In this position, Salmon oversees the university's local, state and federal relations teams.^[2] He also holds a faculty appointment as a professor of practice in public affairs in theWatts College of Public Service & Community Solutions.^[3] In April 2020, Salmon was named chairman of the nonprofit American Kratom Association.^[4] He was a candidate in the2022 Arizona gubernatorial election.^[5]

Salmon was born inSalt Lake City, Utah, to Robert James Salmon and Gloria Aagard Salmon.^[6] Salmon's maternal great-grandfather was born inDenmark.^[7] Salmon moved to Tempe at age 12 and graduated fromMesa High School in 1976.^[8] Salmon is a member ofthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He lived inTaiwan from 1977 to 1979 as a missionary and speaks fluentMandarin Chinese.^[9] Salmon was also a Sunday School teacher,cubmaster, and gospel doctrine teacher with his church.^[10] After graduating from college, Salmon worked as a telecommunications executive atMountain Bell in 1981, eventually becoming community relations manager with Mountain Bell's successor,US West. Salmon was offered the position of director of public relations with US West in 1990, but declined the position after deciding to run for state senate.^[10][11] He married Nancy Huish in 1981.^[12]

In 1990, he ran for theArizona Senate in the 21st Senate District based in Mesa, Arizona. In the Republican primary, he defeated incumbent State SenatorJerry Gillespie.^[13] In the general election, he defeated Democrat Bill Hegarty 60–40%.^[14] In 1992, he won re-election to a second term unopposed.^[15]

In 1992, he was elected assistant majority leader.^[16] He served in that position until 1995.

In 1993, he sponsored legislation that created new drug testing programs for employers.^[17] That year, he also called for an independent study of the Department of Economic Services' child welfare agency.^[18]

• Senate Appropriations Committee^[19]
• Senate Indian Gambling Committee (Co-chairman)^[20]
• Senate Rules Committee (Chairman)^[21]

1994

Incumbent U.S. RepresentativeSam Coppersmith, a Democrat, decided to retire after one term in what was then the 1st district in order to run for the U.S. Senate. Salmon won the Republican primary with a plurality of 39% in a five-candidate field.^[22] During his first congressional campaign,term limits were a high-profile issue. Salmon was one of many candidates nationwide who pledged to serve only three terms in Congress. In the general election, he defeated Democratic State Senator Chuck Blanchard, 56%–39%.^[23]

1996

He won re-election to a second term with 60% of the vote.^[24]

1998

He won re-election to a third term with 65% of the vote.^[25]

2000

He honored his campaign term limits pledge and did not seek re-election to a fourth term in 2000.^[26] He was then succeeded byJeff Flake.

During the 1994 congressional election, Salmon signed theContract with America.^[27]

In 1999, he unsuccessfully advocated carvingRonald Reagan's face intoMount Rushmore, stating "He's the president that ended theCold War. You think about 40 years of a major threat, not only to our country but to the world at large, being ended by one man - that's quite an achievement."^[28] Salmon's idea garnered support from Reps.Roscoe G. Bartlett (R-Md.) andJohn R. Kasich (R-Ohio).^[29]

Salmon was instrumental in obtaining the January 29, 2000, release of U.S.-based academic researcherSong Yongyi from detention in China on spying charges.^[30]

• Committee on International Relations
• Committee on Science
• Committee on Small Business
• Committee on Education and the Workforce^[31][32][33]

Incumbent RepublicanArizona GovernorJane Dee Hull was ineligible for re-election in 2002. In the Republican primary, Salmon defeatedSecretary of State of Arizona Betsy Bayless and Arizona TreasurerCarol Springer 56–30–14%. He won every county in the state.^[34] In the general election, he faced Democratic nominee andArizona Attorney GeneralJanet Napolitano, Libertarian nomineeBarry Hess, and former Arizona Secretary of StateRichard D. Mahoney (who ran as an independent, but was previously a Democrat). Napolitano defeated Salmon 46.2–45.2%, a difference of 11,819 votes.^[35]

After that race, he served as a lobbyist and chairman of the ArizonaRepublican Party. In 2007, he served as campaign manager to businessmanScott Smith's successful campaign for mayor of Mesa.^[36] In 2008, he became president of theCompetitive Telecommunications Association, a Washington, D.C.–based trade association.^[37]

In April 2011, Salmon announced he would seek his old congressional seat, which was now numbered asthe 5th district. His conception ofterm limits had evolved: in 2011 he stated that they were a flawed concept unless they were applied across the board.^[38] His successor in Congress,Jeff Flake, was giving up the seat to run for theUnited States Senate.^[39] He was endorsed by theClub for Growth,^[40] GovernorJan Brewer,^[41] SenatorJohn Thune,^[42] U.S. RepresentativeDavid Schweikert,^[43] U.S. RepresentativeTrent Franks,^[44] and former Florida GovernorJeb Bush.^[45][46] In the August 28 Republican primary, he defeated former state house speakerKirk Adams 52–48%.^[47][48] In the general election, Salmon defeated Democrat Spencer Morgan 65–35%.^[49]

Salmon was reelected almost as easily in 2014. However, he announced on February 25, 2016, that he was retiring for good.^[1]

• Committee on International Relations /Committee on Foreign Affairs
  • Chair, Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere^[50]
  • Chair, Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific^[51]
• Committee on Education and the Workforce^[52][53]

In March 2013, he endorsed the idea of bringing back theHastert Rule, which is that in order to bring a bill to the floor it must have a majority of the majority party's support.^[54]

In 2013, Salmon was one of a few dozen Republicans who attempted to defund the Affordable Care Act by allowing a government shutdown.^[55] Salmon indicated the shutdown was intentional.^[56]

He also proposed an amendment to the United States Constitution limiting House members to three terms in office and Senators to two.^[57]

Abortion

Salmon opposes abortion and has opposed federal funding ofabortions as well as family-planning assistance that includes abortions.^[58][59]

Gay rights

Salmon voted to bangay couples adopting children and opposesgay marriage.^[58][60] Salmon has a son who is gay.^[61] Salmon's son led the ArizonaLog Cabin Republicans; he left the group to focus on medical school.^[62]

Budget

Salmon is afiscal conservative and has often caused rifts and defections in his own party to oppose increasing the deficit.^[63] He has strictly opposed raising thedebt limit and any new spending without matching cuts.^[64] He believes government agencies and institutions should undergo reform, not expansion, to meet their needs.^[65]

Taxation

Salmon signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, stating he would never vote for legislation to increase taxes on Americans.^[66] He opposes new government spending unless it has a plan to initiate some spending cut that will offset the loss.^[64] He has voted to cut various taxes, such as theestate andmarriage taxes.^[67]

He was a cosponsor of a bill that would prevent political bias causing any discrimination in tax treatment.^[68]

In 2011, Salmon signed a pledge sponsored byAmericans for Prosperity promising to vote against anyclimate change legislation that would raise taxes.^[69]

In June 2021, he declared his candidacy in the 2022 race for Arizona governor, to succeed term limited incumbent RepublicanDoug Ducey. He was endorsed byTed Cruz and the Club for Growth, among others.^[70] Salmon dropped out of the race on June 28, 2022.

• 2002 Arizona Governor's RaceUSA Today November 11, 2002
• Salmon holds vision for Arizona's GOP "Ex-congressman eyes chairman seat"The Arizona Republic November 28, 2004(subscription required)

Wikimedia Commons has media related toMatt Salmon.

• Matt Salmon onTwitter
• Appearances onC-SPAN
• Biography at theBiographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Financial information (federal office) at theFederal Election Commission
• Legislation sponsored at theLibrary of Congress
• Profile atVote Smart

• 1958 births
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• Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Arizona

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