Sebastian Matta defeated former state Senator Jeff Dial in Tuesday's election for Clerk of Superior Court, capturing 53% of the vote, according to county election results. The victory makes him one of the youngest people ever elected to a countywide office in Arizona.

Matta attributed the win to Democrats' strong midterm performance and months of grassroots campaigning.

"It's certainly been exciting. It's much more of a bigger result than I expected when I originally won," Matta said in an interview.

Since Election Day, Matta has appeared on late-night talk shows and been profiled by national publications. He said his background helps him connect with voters.

"We're just middle-of-the-road Americans. My parents immigrated to this country in the early 2000s, and I think I'm just a relatable person," he said.

As clerk, Matta will oversee roughly 670 employees, some of whom have worked in the office since before his parents were born.

"I hope that they realize that I'm just not any 19-year-old," he said.

The Clerk of Superior Court is responsible for retaining, securing and storing every court record in Maricopa County. The office processes approximately 16,000 documents each day.

Matta was first introduced to the office as a toddler, when he accompanied his father, a car crash investigator, to pick up documents.

He said confidence is essential for anyone seeking public office.

"I believe that if you are running for public office and you don't firmly believe in your capabilities, I think that you probably shouldn't be running for public office," Matta said.

His priorities include expanding language access and moving more court services online, including the ability to initiate probate matters. He said he plans to spend his first weeks in office getting to know staff before implementing changes.

"This isn't a stepping stone for me. This is just something I have a deep-seated passion about, and I hope that the voters can recognize that," Matta said. "I know my stuff, and I'm hoping that anybody who thinks that they may have taken a gamble on me, I hope that they realize that their gamble will hopefully pay off."

The win comes as Democrats made sweeping gains across Arizona, flipping the state House, Senate and governor's office for the first time since 1966. Matta's victory adds a new face to a wave of younger Democrats taking office in the region.