Tradition and service run deep with Matt Salisbury.

When Matt announced he will seek the opportunity to serve Idaho in the United States House of Representatives, it was simply another step in an already distinguished tradition of service.

Matt Salisbury was born in Augsburg, West Germany while his father served in a Pershing Mobile Missile Defense unit during Viet Nam. One ancestor fought in the Napoleonic wars and another was General William Tecumseh Sherman’s favorite Scout during the Civil War. Matt was an active duty Army Airborne Ranger and a disabled Iraq War veteran having recently served America in the Idaho National Guard based in Boise.

Service means more than just his military career to Matt. Community, church and family have an equal importance. Matt has served on the coaching staff of both the Kuna and Nampa High School Boys varsity soccer programs. Back from Iraq, Matt continued working with youth, starting the first Nampa branch of the Upward Soccer League — a national interdenominational youth sports program — and continues to be active in youth soccer programs. Service also means speaking up. Matt’s comments about the historic 2005 Iraqi election were lauded by President Bush when he was in Nampa, Idaho in August of 2005.

Matt’s roots run deep in the families and values of Idaho. He’s a 4th generation Idahoan educated in the Idaho Public School system. Some say Matt’s tenacity is learned from his grandmother, Darlyne Markus, who has been delivering the Idaho Press Tribune for 49 years and counting. The honor of public service may be instilled from his grandfather, Bruce Markus, who served as Canyon County Assessor over thirty years ago. His faith has been inspired by his late grandfather, Phil Salisbury, an educator and a tailgunner in WWII who also served on the Board of Regents at Northwest Nazarene College and was a life-long member of The Gideons International. It comes down to compassion, hard work and service.

Simply put, he understands us because he is one of us.

Matt got his feet wet in politics putting up Ronald Reagan yard signs in Nampa in 1980. He jumped at the opportunity to work on the George H.W. Bush Presidential Campaign in the summer of 1988. His work resulted in an invitation to work at and attend the Inauguration in January of 1989. He has been active in Canyon County Republican politics since 1997, having managed and volunteered on a number of county and state campaigns.

Matt Salisbury has a reputation as a hard worker who makes it look easy. He earned his way through Northwest Nazarene College (now NNU) starting a roofing business while serving as team captain for the NNU soccer team. Firsthand, Matt knows the issues confronting every small business owner. He has held management positions in the technology, heavy-duty automotive and import industries. Today, Matt is a Senior Sales Engineer within the Electrical Harness Division of Phillips Industries. Matt’s workaday experiences reflect those of many Idahoans.

It is this deep tradition that explains his drive to bring Idahoans together as a family bound in common ideals and goals.

Matt married the former Chandra Youngblood in 1993. They share the joy of three wonderful children Claire-8, Christian-4, and Madeline-3. Matt and Chandra have lived in Nampa for most of their lives, with a brief departure while on active duty.

If you ask those who know him what comes to mind when they think of Matt Salisbury, you will hear: innovative thinker, leader, problem solver, decisive, sense of humor, tenacious, compassionate. These are the qualities Idaho needs in the United States House of Representatives.