About the Author

My name is Matthew Gagnon and I write Pretense of Knowledge.

In my professional life, I serve as the Chief Executive Officer of the Maine Policy Institute, a free-market policy think tank based in Portland, Maine, a position I’ve held since 2014.

Additionally, since 2011 I have written a weekly column for the Bangor Daily News, commenting on current events, politics, economics and culture. In this capacity, I have twice had the honor of being named the Maine Press Association's Best Columnist award winner, in both 2018 and 2019.

I also host the WGAN Morning News, the highest-rated news talk radio program in Southern Maine. The Maine Association of Broadcasters has recognized me three times for news coverage and commentary, honoring me for Best Election Night Coverage for my work anchoring the program during the 2018 mid-term election and the 2020 presidential election, as well as Best Election Coverage for the presidential primaries in 2023.

I grew up in Hampden, Maine, and moved to Washington, D.C. after college, where I worked in elective politics for a decade. While in the nation’s capital, I served as Director of Digital Strategy for the Republican Governors Association for three years, where I won recognition from Campaigns & Elections Magazine as one of the top campaign professionals in the country. In 2010, I served as Deputy Director of Digital Strategy at the National Republican Senatorial Committee, coordinating online campaigns for thirty-seven U.S. Senate races across the country. In my time in Washington, I also worked on Capitol Hill, and in the private sector as a communications and digital campaign consultant for campaigns and public affairs clients.

In all, I have worked on elections in 49 states and have been involved in more than 150 individual campaigns at all levels of politics. Despite this, I’ve never particularly been fond of political parties, or bought into the cult of personality surrounding various candidates and elected officials. My real passion is, and always has been, for ideas, and the exploration of the complexity that exists in human societies.

I have a degree in political science from the University of Maine, and a master’s degree in economics from George Mason University. My wife and I have five children, and we live in Yarmouth, Maine.