Matthew Gene Craffey

I grew up in Ojai, California in a two-parent, Catholic home. I have one older brother, who spends much of the year working in the war-zones of the middle-east. I attended California Lutheran University, receiving a B.A. in Political Science, with an emphasis in International relations. I worked in local law enforcement from 1994 to 2000, and currently work for California Lutheran University as Director of Prospect Research. When I was 21, I finally dealt with the fact that I was gay, and came out to everyone in my life. It was a difficult experience, but one that made me stronger. I've been very involved in LGBT organizations and causes ever since. Music helped me through my coming out journey and has been a major part of my life ever since. Besides being a fan of music, I also write, record, and am the lead singer for the band Dark Rume. Many of our songs are posted on matthewcraffey.com if you'd like to check them out. Lastly, politics has always been a big part of my life. When I was younger, and prior to coming out, I was a very politically Conservative Republican, emulating the politics of my family. After coming out, my politics moved to the left, which seemed more connected to the issues I was commonly dealing with as a gay man. After 9/11, I came to the realization that neither the far-left, or far-right have all the answers, and that real political progress, and stability comes from the center. America is, at heart, a centrist country. It is our two parties that have betrayed our national political instincts, and have polarized the electorate. My political opinion and policy pieces come from a centrist political philosophy, and sometimes that position is more in line with the Democratic Party, and sometimes its more in line the Republican Party. Either way, I believe people should vote for the candidate, not the party, and more Americans need to demand that the two parties govern from the middle, not from the left or right.