Sebastian Matta is 19 years old, and he just won one of the biggest local offices in Arizona. The Democrat was elected Maricopa County Clerk of the Superior Court on Tuesday, defeating Republican Jeff Dial, a 50 year old former state senator. Maricopa, home to Phoenix, is the fourth largest county in the country.
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The clerk’s office is not a ceremonial job. It keeps the court’s records and handles the money that moves through the justice system, from fines and fees to payments involving lawyers and the public. Matta will lead an office with hundreds of employees, and the position pays $97,000 a year.
Matta is a student at Arizona State University and still lives with his parents. He graduated from Thunderbird High School in Phoenix in 2025, where he did theater, tennis, chess and debate, and he now helps coach his old debate team. He started his campaign in August 2025, shortly after turning 18, and his win in the uncontested Democratic primary in July fell on his 19th birthday. This election was the first time he was old enough to vote, and he voted for himself.
Matta, who has Venezuelan and Argentine roots, ran on expanding language access, modernizing court services and doing a better job of reaching the public. His win came as part of the Democratic wave that flipped control of both the House and the Senate on Tuesday.
Two days later, he was on Jimmy Kimmel Live. “It’s like Boss Baby come to life,” Kimmel said as he introduced him. Kimmel, who also went to ASU, joked about the difference between them. “When I was your age in Phoenix, I was Krazy Gluing quarters to the ground at the mall,” he said. “Been there, done that,” Matta shot back.
When Kimmel asked what made him run for clerk at 19, and whether it was the glamour of the job, Matta played along. “Boy, don’t you know it,” he said. He admitted he did not see the win coming. “I came in optimistic, but not expecting to win, but look where we are now,” he told Kimmel.
He also addressed the elephant in the room. “I understand that it’s very scary to have a 19 year old be your boss,” he said. Asked about his plans beyond this job, he kept it light. “My future aspirations are a problem for Sebastian in four years who can drink.”
The campaign was not spotless. The Arizona Capitol Times reported that his first quarter campaign finance report was filed a week late and his second quarter report was five days late. Campaign finance reports are the public filings that show who donated to a candidate and how the money was spent. After the election, Matta told ABC15 that the delays happened because an accountant did not respond.
Matta says his first months in office will focus on building relationships with the clerk’s office staff and reassuring them about their jobs before he makes changes. “I’m confident that I can do the duties of the job very well,” he told Newsweek. “I’ve got a good group of people here preparing me for the job and the office that I’m going to take.”
