ABOUT

Matt Thornton is the president and founder of Armory Strategies, a political, crisis, and strategic communications firm. He is a communications and campaign professional who has been at the forefront of Democratic and progressive efforts for two decades. He has worked in battleground states across the country, fought legislative battles on Capitol Hill, influenced the outcome of elections for progressive super PACs, and headed the Democratic Party’s communications efforts for House races nationwide. Currently, he advises clients on campaign strategy, communications programs, public affairs efforts, crisis mitigation, opposition placement, and how to navigate opportunities and pitfalls both inside and outside the beltway.

During the 2016 election cycle, Matt served as Communications Director at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) where he led a team of ten staff that managed all public communications, branding, and outreach for the committee. His department handled everything from assisting individual campaigns on rollouts and earned media efforts; to candidate media training; to crisis communications, including handling the Russian hack into the DCCC. He designed and implemented strategy around publicizing research-based stories with the media. A regular commentator in national and local press, he worked on a daily basis with reporters across the country. He managed a multi-million dollar budget generating effective paid and earned media strategies

Matt previously held senior communications roles at both House Majority PAC and American Bridge 21st Century, two of the most prominent super PACs in Democratic politics. In addition to protecting and expanding the reputations of these organizations, he regularly worked with investigative journalists to ensure devastating coverage for the political opposition.

He also spent nearly five years on Capitol Hill serving as a Communications Director in both the House and the Senate. During his time on the Hill, he was actively involved in the healthcare, cap and trade, and budget fights.

On the campaign trail, Matt has worked for House, Senate, and Gubernatorial races in Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio, and West Virginia.

Matt holds a BA in Political Science and History and a Master of Governmental Administration, both from the University of Pennsylvania. He currently resides on Capitol Hill with his wife and two sons.