Delaware teen gets big start in politics

April 2, 2008 (WPVI) -- He's only 16-years-old... but don't let his age fool you.

This Delaware teenager is pretty savvy when it comes to technology - and politics. That's why Mat Marshal is the new communications director for a congressional candidate.

In the classroom Mat Marshall is used to listening to his teacher at the Cab Calloway School of the Arts. And among his peers, fellow students often take in his ideas.

Video clips and sound bites are about to become a big part of this 16-year-old's life now that he's been named the new communications director for Karen Hartley-Nagle, a Democrat who plans to challenge Delaware Republican Congressman Mike Castle.

Hartely-Nagle says, "Mat is a prodigy, for anybody who knows him knows he's a diamond in the rough and what I would call a Toyota jump, he just wows you."

Together these two hope to wow voters who've been returning Congressman Castle to Washington since 1993.

Marshall tells us, "Politics is my passion. Politics is what I've wanted to do with my life for a few years now and I hope it's where I end up going in life."

"Mat will be fielding some of the calls from reporters. He will be writing press releases and he will also, even though he cant vote, he will be able to influence some of the policy decisions. We will work as a team," says Hartley-Nagle.

Of course it remains to be seen whether or not mat passes the test as a campaign communications director, but he seems to be getting a lot of support... even from Congressman Mike Castle.

Castle says, "He'll learn about politics. Hopefully he won't be successful, but he'll learn about politics."

Mat's first lesson is likely to be about fundraising. Nagle hopes to raise at least a half million dollars to run against castle. Who, by the way, says he'll have several people working on communications staff when he officially announces his re-election plans this summer.

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local/state, lauren wilson

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