Jim Matthews is the 48th and current Governor of Pennsylvania. He previously served as the 48th Vice President of the United States, and as Pennsylvania's 46th Governor, before leaving the vice presidency to run for his former position as governor to replace the late Peter Russo as the Democratic nominee.
Biography
Early life
In a speech, he mentioned that his father was from the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Political Career
Matthews was first elected governor of Pennsylvania in the 2010 gubernatorial election.
After a year of serving as Governor, he was speculated to be a possible Vice-Presidential candiate. Garrett Walker, who as the Democratic nominee for President of the United States, eventually chose Matthews to be his running mate in the 2012 election in the hopes that he would carry the state of Pennsylvania, which he did.
During his time as Vice President, Matthews felt undervalued and brushed aside by the president in regard to policy. His opinion was not valued by Walker and he discussed the subject with gubernatorial candidate Peter Russo while on a bus tour through Pennsylvania. Walker and Matthews proved to be an ineffective team, and their already rocky relationship was damaged even further after Frank Underwood tells both men that the other had been speaking negatively about each other. This dysfunctional relationship then made it easy for Matthews to step down as Vice President and run again for his old office of Governor of Pennsylvania following the death of Peter Russo.
The special election to fill Matthews's first term as governor was held on November 5, 2013. Matthews himself ended up filling the rest of his term. He defeated Republican nominee Jack Swofford, a former mayor of Pittsburgh. He then resigned as vice president and took office for his second term as governor.
He later won a third term as Governor in the regular 2014 general election. In 2015, Matthews was critical of President Underwood's use of an executive order to fund America Works using FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund, when Hurricane Faith was on a collision course for the eastern seaboard. He stated that the president "undermined the separation of powers and put the fate of the entire East Coast in Hurricane Faith's hands." He publicly urged Underwood to sign a bill that would replenish the DRF.
Behind the Scenes
- Jim Matthews was portrayed by Dan Ziskie in Seasons 1 and 5 of House of Cards
Appearances
| Season 1 | ||||
| "Chapter 1" | "Chapter 2" | "Chapter 3" | "Chapter 4" | "Chapter 5" |
| "Chapter 6" | "Chapter 7" | "Chapter 8" | "Chapter 9" | "Chapter 10" |
| "Chapter 11" | "Chapter 12" | "Chapter 13" | ||
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ed Rendell |
Democratic nominee for Governor of Pennsylvania 2010 |
Succeeded by Peter Russo |
| Preceded by |
Democratic vice presidential nominee 2012 |
Succeeded by Claire Underwood |
| Preceded by Peter Russo |
Democratic nominee for Governor of Pennsylvania 2013, 2014 |
Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Ed Rendell |
Governor of Pennsylvania 2011 – 2013 |
Succeeded by |
| Preceded by |
Vice President of the United States January 2013 – November 2013 |
Succeeded by Frank Underwood |
| Preceded by |
Governor of Pennsylvania 2014 – present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
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