Interview with Matt Towery, March 19, 2018

Collection: Two-Party Georgia Oral History Project

Dublin Core

Description

Matthew Allen (Matt) Towery was born in Atlanta on December 6, 1959. He attended the University of Georgia and graduated from Cambridge University and Stetson University College of Law. Towery ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for Lieutenant Governor in 1990 before serving two terms representing Cobb County in the Georgia House of Representatives. Towery left elective office in 1997. Towery is co-founder, along with former Georgia Lieutenant Governor Pierre Howard, of InsiderAdvantage/Internet News. Towery served as CEO of InsiderAdvantage and publisher of James Magazine until 2014, and he remains chairman. An author, nationally syndicated columnist, political analyst, and pollster, Towery has published multiple books and his work has appeared in news outlets across the country. He is currently chairman of the Government Affairs and Public Policy Practice and of counsel at Hall, Booth, Smith, P.C. in Atlanta. Towery resides in Atlanta and St. Petersburg, Florida.


Towery begins by discussing his early life, education, and experience growing up in Metro Atlanta. He talks about his early political experience as a page for Governor Lester Maddox, a Democrat, as well as relationships with Mack Mattingly, Newt Gingrich, and other Georgia Republicans. Towery explains how he became active in the Georgia Republican Party during the 1980s, especially his role in Campaign for Georgia’s Future. His unsuccessful campaign for lieutenant governor in 1990 as well as his time in the Georgia House of Representatives is covered. He also discusses his transition from elective office into writing, publishing, polling, and work at InsiderAdvantage. Towery assesses Georgia political history, including the impact of the 2018 elections on the prospects of the Democratic and Republican parties in Georgia during the latter part of the interview.

Date

2018-03-19

Identifier

RBRL425TPGA-045

Coverage

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Files

Citation

Matt Towery and Ashton Ellett, “Interview with Matt Towery, March 19, 2018,” UGA Special Collections Libraries Oral Histories, accessed November 21, 2024, https://georgiaoralhistory.libs.uga.edu/RBRL425TPGA/RBRL425TPGA-045.