Democrat Sebastian Matta is set to defeat Republican Jeff Dial in the race for Maricopa County Cler

Democrat Matta set to become Maricopa County Clerk

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19-Year-Old Democrat Elected Maricopa County Clerk, Defeating Veteran Republican

On November 4, 2026, history was written in Maricopa County as 19-year-old Democrat Sebastian Matta defeated Republican Jeff Dial in the race for County Clerk of the Superior Court. As results rolled in on Wednesday evening, KTAR reported that Matta secured 689,669 votes, or 53.4%, to Dial’s 602,745 votes, or 46.6%, out of 1,360,007 total ballots cast. Hours after the unofficial results were posted on the Maricopa County election website, Dial took to social media to concede, writing, “I hope the Clerk’s Office finds great success in the future.”

The Maricopa County Clerk of the Superior Court, as the county’s official website explains, manages all official court records and financial services for the justice system, overseeing a staff of close to 700 people. Hoodline reported that the position carries an annual salary of $96,600 and a four-year term, showing the significance of the role Sebastian Matta, a 19-year-old sophomore at Arizona State University, is set to fill.

A Youthful Challenger Against a Seasoned Politician

The race presented a stark generational and ideological contrast. Matta, who turned 19 on July 21, 2025—the same day he won the uncontested Democratic primary, according to the Arizona Capitol Times—framed his campaign on bringing new perspectives to an office he saw as ripe for reform. His interest in public service began not in a political office, but alongside his father, a car crash investigator, and blossomed through speech and debate. He officially announced his candidacy in August 2025, driven by a desire to resolve specific issues he had identified within the clerk’s operations.

Dial, his Republican opponent, brought a different kind of experience to the ballot. A former state senator and representative, as well as an Army Reserve veteran, Dial spent a decade in the private sector managing operations, budgets, payroll, and regulatory compliance. His campaign focused on practical, efficiency-driven goals: expanding online filing and access to court records, fostering better collaboration between the clerk’s office and the Superior Court, and protecting taxpayer dollars by cutting waste. Both candidates, Hoodline noted, shared a common goal of making court resources more accessible in multiple languages, but their paths to get there were fundamentally different.

Matta's Campaign Finance Filings Were Late

Matta’s victory was decisive, but the path was not entirely smooth. During the campaign, Dial and other critics pointed to Matta’s late campaign finance filings as a sign of inexperience. Hoodline reported that Matta filed his first-quarter report a week late and his second-quarter report five days late. Despite this criticism, Matta maintained his focus on his core message: injecting youthful energy and fresh ideas into a role that had seen significant turnover even before the election.

Year old asu student wins maricopa county clerk race after dial concedes
Photo: hoodline.com

The office itself has been in flux. According to Hoodline, Jeff Fine served as the last elected clerk from 2019 to 2025. After Fine’s departure, Governor Katie Hobbs appointed Joseph Malka, who stepped down less than a year later. Matta’s win, however, is a notable exception to a national trend of low youth political engagement. A Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics poll found that only 12% of people aged 18 to 29 were motivated to participate in the 2026 midterms, making Matta’s local success a noteworthy anomaly. Arizona Democratic Party Chairwoman Charlene Fernandez commented on Matta’s win during KTAR’s election special, saying, “That is our future right there. … And those like him, those are the young people that we’re working with.”

In an interview with ABC15, as reported by Hoodline, he emphasized the importance of building relationships with the office’s staff. “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.

19-year-old Sebastian Matta will soon have 700 employees reporting to him in Maricopa County #shorts

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