Matt Rinaldi is a former state representative whose ultraconservative legislative career was heavily subsidized by Farris Wilks and Tim Dunn before he lost his Northwest Dallas County seat to Democrat Julie Johnson in 2018. In 2021, he was elected as the successor to controversial, former Texas GOP chair Allen West and, as the party’s leader, Rinaldi has been a crucial ally of Defend Texas Liberty, helping attack the group’s Republican opponents and backing its candidates. Rinaldi earned his Juris Doctor with honors from Boston University School of Law and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Economics from James Madison University. Matt attends St. Ann’s Catholic Parish in Coppell with his wife, Corley, and son, Rush.