From working in a restaurant kitchen to making candles for a living, one U.S. congressional candidate has come a long way and hopes to go further as a public servant.
David Matthews, a two-time presidential appointee under President Donald Trump, is running for Alabama's Congressional District 2 in the special primary election.
Matthews didn't pursue politics but found himself on the Trump campaign trail in 2016. He then served at the U.S. Department of Agriculture headquarters. He was looking forward to a promotion when he got the call to run for office. He resigned from the USDA, and his family is now focused on the campaign.
"I want people to have more money in their pockets, and I want their quality of life to be better," Matthews said. "I want them to be happier, and the way that I believe I'm going to do that is by utilizing the experience I've gained in the executive branch that no other candidate running for office this year in the state of Alabama has."
The Ozark native inadvertently got involved in politics after years of fighting to make ends meet. After graduating from Carroll High School in 2006, he earned his degree in advertising and public relations from the University of Alabama. Entering the work force post-Great Recession was a challenge. After submitting over 100 applications, he didn't get a call back.
Matthews worked in restaurants, rode a bicycle seven miles to and from work, and couch surfed as he struggled to find a job. He didn't want to tell his parents he was struggling because he said he wasn't looking for a handout. But eventually, his father called him to come home. He worked in his father's law firm and eventually started his own candle company, Country Town Candles.
Matthews said the six and a half months he struggled helped shape him as a person, making him more resilient.
"I feel like those days not only made me a stronger, more resilient person, but they made me truly appreciate, even now, just the simplest things," he said. "I can sharply remember those days where I had nothing and my diet was Ramen Noodles, eggs and whole milk. So, I treasure those days, even though they were difficult at the time."
Back at home, not everything was easy. The family experienced tragedy when his brother passed away from a fentanyl overdose. Matthews said the shocking death shaped his desire to fix the drug addiction problem in the country.
When Donald Trump announced his candidacy for president in 2015, Matthews said he knew he would win the election. He talked his father into becoming a Trump delegate in 2016 and went with him to Montgomery for a delegate meeting. That's where he met people on the campaign and took a leap to join them. He followed the campaign trail to Wisconsin.
"I started out as an unpaid field representative and in three days up in Eau Claire, Wis., I was surrounded by 20-23 paid Trump campaign staffers from across the country and a regional director, and I was just some guy from Alabama who had no idea what he was doing," Matthews recalled.
Eventually, Matthews was offered a paid job as a field director in Pennsylvania. While there, he met his wife, Emily, and the couple now has five children. Matthews said if not for Trump, he would not have met his wife or had his kids, so he credits the president for giving him an appreciation he never knew was possible.
"So, I've been with Trump, either his campaign or his administration, since March of 2016 and I have met him numerous times, but he does not know who I am," Matthews said. "I've probably shaken his hand a dozen and a half times. I've seen him more times than I can count, but if he remembers me, I would be surprised, and I have five children that exist today because he chose to run for office."
As a congressman, Matthews said he wants to ensure more Americans can experience the joy of having children.
"I have such an appreciation for our children, and it brings me so much happiness that I want other people to have that," Matthews said. "A lot of people choose to either not have children or not have several children because of the cost. They think they can't support their children or there aren't enough available childcare services and that is a fixable problem."
Under the Trump administration, Matthews focused on agriculture, rural development, access to capital, water, broadband, electric service, housing and small-business growth. He vowed to offer conservative representation for communities, families, farmers, small businesses and military households.
"I believe that I'll do a really good job leveraging the experience that I've gained working in the executive branch to really improve the quality of life for Alabama citizens and even people around the country," Matthews said.
If the U.S. Supreme Court stays a federal court ruling blocking the use of a 2023 congressional map, Matthews will face five others in the August 11 special primary election. Other Republican candidates for Congressional District 2 are Hampton Harris, Christian Horn, State Rep. Rhett Marques (R-Enterprise), Joshua McKee and James Richardson.
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