SRVUSD Graduate Running For Congress

DANVILLE, CA — San Ramon Valley High School graduate Matt Ortega announced his candidacy to represent California's 14th District, which is currently represented by Swalwell. The seat is open this year after Swalwell, who has represented the district since 2012, announced his candidacy for governor.

Ortega, a longtime organizer and digital strategist for progressive causes, said he is running "because I believe we are at an inflection point in our history. We cannot afford this broken status quo. Life is expensive and liberty is vulnerable. I run because it is also deeply personal. I think of my sons, just 6 and 3, the future they are set to inherit, and I want to fight like hell."

Ortega was born in Oakland, grew up in Hayward, and moved to Danville when he was young, according to a biography on his website. When he was eight years old, his mother died of cancer, and he and his three siblings were raised by their father and his grandmother, who slept on the living room sofa.

He attended SRVHS, where he developed an interest in politics, and served as editor of the school paper his senior year. He matriculated to the University of Arizona, then moved back to California to work on his first campaign, where he helped a Democrat beat a Republican incumbent in a district that included parts of the current 14th District, including Dublin and Pleasanton. Ortega then began working for the Democratic National Committee's "Internet Department," and gained national recognition with online spoofs of Mitt Romney. In 2015, he served as Hillary Clinton's digital director for communications, and worked for digital consulting firms.

In June 2022, he opened his own digital consulting firm, which has worked for Democratic candidates across the country. It also helped lobby against the Oakland A's move to Las Vegas.

Ortega lives with his wife, who is the daughter of Ethiopian refugees, and two sons with autism diagnoses, stories that shape his vision. "The daily grind of parenthood is difficult enough for families. Kids with special needs should be supported—not targeted with government registries and denigrated by quacks," he wrote. "The immigrant story should be lauded as quintessentially American—not scapegoated and slandered."

"The wreckage of this administration requires a new direction for a new time. We can’t afford the status quo. Something different must take its place. This great struggle rests upon a bold vision for the American people and I intend to offer it," he said.

Visit mattortega.com for more information.

Several other people have thrown their hat into the ring for Swalwell's seat, including former Dublin Mayor and current BART Board Trustee Melissa Hernandez, California State Senator Aisha Wahab, attorney Abrar Qadir, attorney Rakhi Israni, and one Republican, retired executive Wendy Huang.

SEE ALSO:

• BART Board President, Ex-Dublin Mayor Announces Run For Congress
  
• Bay Area Congressman Eric Swalwell Joins California Governor's Race