Matthew Calcara – Kansas HD30 – State Representative

Progress | Prosperity | Integrity

MEET Matthew:

Kansas Born - Kansas Raised

A third-generation Kansan, the son of a labor lawyer/Air Force veteran father and a public school teacher mother, Matthew Calcara is the Democratic candidate for Kansas State House District 30 in 2018. Now 36, Matthew was born in 1981 at KU Medical Center.

Calcara Cousins at a Calcara Wedding

She Thinks My Tractor is Sexy

Down On The Farm

Growing up in Johnson County, Matthew attended Shawnee Mission public schools, eventually graduating near the top of his class, and earning an academic scholarship to the University of Southern California.

No Place Like Home

After graduating from USC in 3 years, Matthew would enjoy growing professional success, first as a journalist for CBS Travel Editor Peter Greenberg, and then as Peter’s New Media Manager, building Greenberg’s social media and digital operations from the ground up.

After consulting stints at Guthy|Renker, Walt Disney Parks & Resorts Online (where he was a producer for Disneyland.com), Capital Group and Disney (again), Matthew felt satisfied professionally. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing.

He decided there was something more important than professional success that California could never give him: proximity to his family, his roots, and the place he’d always called “home.”

Becoming A Candidate

When his latest Disney contract ended, Matthew packed up a U-Haul and drove with his Dad back across the country to Kansas.

Seeking to make a difference in Kansas just as he’d done even while living in California (like getting Wichita’s Dan Manning included as part of the Grassroots 15), Matthew was elected to the board of the Kansas City Metro chapter of Equality Kansas, the state’s largest LGBT rights organization. He is also precinct committeeman (Olathe 4-14) for the Johnson County Democratic Party.

He gives back as a volunteer with the Kansas Voter Registration Project, a non-partisan organization that helps people in Kansas (and Missouri) register to vote. He’s used his digital skills to build websites for a number of local organizations like Kansas Equality PAC.

After seeing his state representative consistently ignore, and even mock, the wishes of constituents, Matthew signed up as a potential candidate with RunForSomething.net, and was selected for candidate training by the Victory Institute. In April 2017, he officially declared his candidacy for Kansas House District 30 (Olathe & Lenexa – 87th to 127th, between Pflumm & Renner). Now an official partner of the DLCC, RunForSomething endorsed Matthew as part of its first class of 65 endorsed candidates from 17 states around the country.

You can learn more about his stances on the issues that are important to the people of the 30th District.

Want to get involved in making a difference in your community, whether for Matthew’s campaign, or for a cause that’s important to you? We will show you how!

If you’d like to donate to the Calcara for Kansas campaign, please note the following information.

An individual may contribute up to $500 for the primary election and up to an additional $500 for the general election for a maximum of $1000. Your spouse may make a separate contribution, subject to the same maximum amounts. Kansas law requires us to report the name and mailing address of each individual whose contributions are in excess of $50 in a calendar year, and occupation when contributions are in excess of $150.

All contributions received by this committee are declared. Contributions are not tax deductible.