Matt Rudig - Northern Field Director for Congressman Dave Obey

Matt Rudig is the prototypical “guy you’d like to have a beer with.” Laid back and easy to talk to, he laughs often and shows genuine interest in the people around him. Those are all qualities he puts to good use in his job as the Northern Field Director for longtime Congressman Dave Obey, the Chair of the powerful House Appropriations Committee.

“I’m the eyes and ears for the Congressman,” said Matt. “I am always listening and gathering information from people, so I’m able to pass along their thoughts and concerns to him.”

Now, it isn’t often that someone can claim to be from somewhere north of here, but Matt can assert that statement with authority. Matt, 32, grew up in Fairbanks, Alaska.

“It really wasn’t any different than anywhere else - except it was colder and darker,” he said. “You spend a lot more time inside in the winter and outside in the summer, that’s for sure.”

It was in Alaska that Matt started curling competitively, and the sport is actually one of the main reasons he ended up in the Midwest.

“I joined the Guards right after high school,” he said. “I knew that Duluth had a great Guard base, a great curling club and a great university. Plus, it was in a small town – I like the feel of it, and of course, it was a beautiful area.”

After earning a degree in political science and criminology, and completing an internship with the county attorney’s office, Matt began weighing his law school options. But …

“Then I got involved in my first political campaign,” he said with a smile.

Matt has always been into politics – he remembers painting his own signs as far back as fifth grade – but his first major role came in 2002, when he was a co-chair for now-St. Louis County Sheriff Ross Litman’s first campaign. The two knew each other from the curling league, and their shared political interest brought them together.

“I got hooked,” said Matt. “I loved being out talking to people and spreading our message. I liked coordinating the activities and schedules. Maybe most of all, being around so many driven people, all working for the same cause, was inspiring.”

After Litman’s win, Matt moved back to Alaska to take a job with a state legislator. After two years, though, the Twin Ports’ siren song lured him back.

“I wasn’t sure what I would do for work,” he said. “I cobbled together an income, working in the mortgage industry for a while, doing a couple of other things that weren’t what I was looking for long-term at all. Respectable work, but not what I wanted. Then the position with Obey’s office came open – and my name was floated.”

The person who “floated” Matt’s name was Duluth City Councilor and now-Mayor Don Ness, a friend of Matt’s.

“The Congressman was looking for someone with experience in both campaigns and in constituent contact,” said Matt. “It worked out, and here I am.”

As Obey’s Northern Field Representative – “I call myself lots of different things, like CEO of the Superior office,” jokes Matt – Rudig wears many, many of those proverbial hats. One day, he might have a town hall-style meeting, or hold office hours to speak with constituents who have concerns. If there’s a hot piece of legislation being discussed in Congress – like, for example, the stimulus bill - he might be in the office most of the day fielding phone calls. He might be meeting with the Douglas County Board of Supervisors on a new sewer and water project, or he might be in Bayfield to discuss a dock project with the mayor. Or, he might be contending with protesters who have staged a sit-in in his office.

“I’m not specialized in any one area,” said Matt. “In my job, I have to know a little about a lot – and I have to be able to handle many different perspectives and personalities. Sometimes doing that without interjecting my own opinion is hard, but it has to be done. My job isn’t to argue with people or try to change their viewpoint. Only Dave Obey can speak for Dave Obey. My job is to take down their thoughts and share them with the Congressman.”

Matt feels fortunate to have found a job in the Twin Ports that not only pays the mortgage, but one that allows him to be a part of measurable, tangible change.

“I like to think I help the Congressman help people,” he said. “I might be working with constituents on, for example, the development of a new dental clinic for low-income kids, or a new park for families to enjoy. And then they happen. It’s really special when you see these things come to fruition.”

Though Matt’s work with Congressman Obey keeps him busy, he continues to burn that midnight oil after-hours on other political campaigns, too. He’s helped out Duluth’s Don Ness twice, for two different offices. Most recently, Matt served as a strategist/writer/press secretary for Superior’s new young legislator, Nick Milroy.

So, would he ever run himself?

“I always feel like I’m more of a behind-the-scenes person,” said Matt. “But you never know what the future holds.”