A 19-year-old Democrat who pulled off an unexpected victory in Arizona’s midterm elections is already making headlines, this time with a television appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”.
Sebastian “Seb” Matta, an Arizona State University student who still lives with his parents, defeated former Republican state senator Jeff Dial to become the next Maricopa County Superior Court Clerk. The county is the fourth largest in the United States, and Matta’s victory has drawn attention because he is barely old enough to vote.
Jimmy Kimmel welcomed Matta to his Thursday night show, joking that his election was like “Boss Baby come to life” as he introduced the teenager who is preparing to lead a major county office.
“What possessed you to run for Superior Court clerk at 19 years old?” Kimmel asked, teasing him about whether the job offered any “glamour” or “glitz.”
“Boy, don’t you know it,” Matta replied.
Kimmel, who also attended Arizona State University, compared Matta’s early political career with his own teenage years in Phoenix.
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“When I was your age in Phoenix, I was Krazy Gluing quarters to the ground at the mall,” he recalled.
Matta’s victory was among the more surprising results of Tuesday’s elections. Dial, a 50-year-old Republican and former state senator, had appeared to be a strong contender for the position.
Instead, Matta managed to defeat him despite having no comparable experience and being only 19.
Kimmel also compared Matta to the fictional teenage doctor from the 1980s television series “Doogie Howser, M.D.,” joking, “You’re like a political version of Doogie Howser. Do you even know who that is?”
Matta quickly pointed out the generational gap, replying, “Can’t say. I was born this century.”
The newly elected clerk will oversee an office responsible for processing around 15,000 documents and nearly half a million dollars every day.
Speaking about his priorities once he takes office, Matta said he wants to build relationships with the existing staff and reassure them about their positions.
“The first long while of my tenure will be getting to be friendly with the staff, ensuring them that their jobs are safe,” he said.
He also acknowledged that having a 19-year-old as their boss could be unsettling for some employees.
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“I mean, I understand that it’s very scary to have a 19-year-old be your boss, but I’m not just any 19-year-old. It’s like, like Boss Babies come to life,” Matta joked.
The teenager also spoke about his life outside politics, revealing that he continues to live with his parents while attending college.
“I used to up until May. I live with my old folks now. So, I’m really living the 19-year-old college experience,” he said, before quickly adding, “Oh, wow. Not really, though. Not really.”
Despite the unexpected scale of his victory, Matta said he had been encouraged by the early ballot returns but had not entered the race expecting to win.
“Yeah, I was really looking optimistic in the days before. I was looking at ballot returns and it looked really optimistic, but I came into this not expecting to win and look at where we are now,” he said.