A third-generation Oregonian who was born and raised in Coos County on the Southern Oregon Coast, Matt Rowe has been active in politics for the past twenty years, working in a number of roles on political campaigns, covering regional politics as a newspaper editor/reporter, and serving in elected office. In 2021 he founded Bridging the Divide Consulting, which provides services in political, public policy, and media development to anti-establishment/pro-working class candidates and causes.
As Mayor of Coquille from 2013 to 2017, Rowe led efforts that quadrupled street repair funding, kept utility rates low, opposed efforts to privatize the City's ambulance service, and was was the only sitting Mayor in the region to openly stand-up against the Jordan Cove LNG project which would have devastated Salmon habitat, increased wildfire risks, violated the rights of homeowners, and created a major public safety hazard for the entire Bay Area.
After serving as Mayor, Rowe was elected to the Coquille School Board in 2017, serving until 2021. In that role he successfully led the effort to end "pay to play" fees for school sports and extracurricular activities, pushed for the expansion of free hot lunches, and opposed increased spending on administrative overhead, believing the money better spent in the Classroom.
He most recently served as Chair of the Libertarian Party of Oregon from June 2024 until October 2025, where he worked to push the party toward a more working class and justice based orientation, authored several resolutions condemning Israel's Genocide in Gaza, and successfully defeated underhanded attempts by the Republican Party to have Libertarians stripped from the November 2024 ballot. While still a fervent defender of civil liberties, Rowe would eventually leave the party due to what he considered inadequate opposition to the Trump Administration's numerous crimes and their cult-like devotion to a failed economic philosophy. He would officially join the Pacific Green Party in March 2026.
In the Winter of 2026, Rowe became a candidate for the Pacific Green Party's gubernatorial nomination, declaring: "I'm running for Governor because too many Oregonians are living in constant anxiety and misery — fearful of losing housing, losing health care coverage, or being unable to afford groceries to feed their families and electricity to keep the heat on. I'm running because I know Oregon can do better — we can build an economy that guarantees basic security for every citizen, and a government which protects our civil liberties from corporate and federal oppression, while truly restoring our Democracy."
He is a strong supporter of universal healthcare, state-led mass construction of affordable housing, publicly financed elections, wetland/habitat restoration, and local autonomy/community rights.
Rowe lives in North Bend, with his wife Amanda (who works as a Special Education Teacher), their two young children Matthew, Jr. and Aurora, and their two cats.
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