The Office of James Carville

Mary Matalin is currently serving as Assistant to President Bush and Counselor to Vice-President Cheney.

Upon joining the Bush/Cheney White House Matalin hosted CNN’s Crossfire. Prior to Crossfire Matalin took her sharp wit and free-spirited political repartee to the airwaves during her own three-hour afternoon radio program on the CBS Talk Radio Network. The Mary Matalin Show highlighted current events, featured distinguished guests and listener calls. Talkers Magazine listed Matalin as one of "The 100 Most Important Talk Show Hosts in America" in 1996, 1997, and 1998. In addition, Talk Daily recognized The Mary Matalin Show with its "Great Web Site Award."

She has made frequent television appearances as a political commentator, and has written for various periodicals including Newsweek, The Los Angeles Times and Cosmopolitan. Matalin also co-authored the best-selling political campaign book All’s Fair: Love, War and Running for President with her husband, James Carville, who was the Chief Campaign Strategist for Clinton/Gore ’92.

Mary Matalin is the former founding co-host of the Washington-based political weeknight talk show, Equal Time, which premiered in May 1993 on CNBC. She served as co-host until shortly after the 1996 national political conventions. Her political astuteness and antics contributed to the show’s being called "the best talk show on television" by Knight Rider News Service. Matalin’s humor, straightforward discussion, as well as her ability to discuss the hottest political issues in Washington helped to make the show one of the most talked about programs in the network’s history.

Matalin has been active in politics since college, starting at the grassroots level in local and statewide campaigns in her native Illinois. The Reagan Revolution brought her to Washington, DC where she served the Republican National Committee in the Political Education, Redistricting, and Deputy Chairman offices.

After a hiatus from Washington to attend Hofstra Law School, Matalin returned to the RNC in 1984, and held the position of Voter Contact Director for the Reagan-Bush Campaign. Following the campaign, she worked in the Public Affairs Office for President Reagan’s Inaugural. In 1985, Matalin became the Chief of Staff to the Co-Chairperson of the RNC.

Matalin joined the George Bush for President Campaign in 1986. Over the next two years, she held three different positions. She was the Deputy Political Director and Midwest Regional Political Director in the primary and served as the National Victory ’88 Director in the general campaign. Upon President Bush’s victory and appointment of Lee Atwater as Chairman of the RNC, she served as Mr. Atwater’s Chief of Staff. In 1992, President Bush named her the Deputy Campaign Manager for Political Operations. As Deputy Campaign Manager, she was responsible for the overview and organization of all fifty state operations. As the on-board planner who traveled with President Bush throughout the 1992 campaign, she emerged as the vocal and occasionally controversial defender of the President and his policies.

Mary and her husband, James Carville, reside in Virginia with their daughters, Matalin "Matty" Carville and Emerson Normand Carville.

TOP