Stanley Toshi Matsunaka (born November 12, 1953) is a former
Democratic member of the
Colorado State Senate, serving from 1995 to 2003. He served as President of the Senate for two years. In both the
2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
and
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight ...
congressional elections, Matsunaka lost to
Republican Marilyn Musgrave
Marilyn Neoma Musgrave (née Shuler; born January 27, 1949), American politician, is a former Republican member of the United States House of Representatives who served from 2003 to 2009, representing the 4th District of Colorado.
Musgrave ser ...
for
Colorado's 4th congressional district.
Early life and education
Matsunaka was born in
Akron, Colorado
Akron is the Statutory Town that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Washington County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 1,757 at the 2020 United States Census.
History
Akron was platted in 1882. The com ...
, on November 12, 1953, to Mary and Harry Matsunaka. He graduated from Fort Morgan High School in 1971 then received a
Bachelors of Science
Bachelors of Science is the stage name of Phil "Rene" Collis, Chris Doe and Lukeino Argilla. They met in California and formed a successful act, quickly becoming one of the top drum and bass producers in the electronic music scene. Focusing prim ...
in biological sciences from
Colorado State University
Colorado State University (Colorado State or CSU) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fort Collins, Colorado. It is the flagship university of the Colorado State University System. Colorado S ...
in 1975 and a
Juris Doctor
The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law
and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice l ...
from the
University of San Diego
The University of San Diego (USD) is a private Roman Catholic research university in San Diego, California. Chartered in July 1949 as the independent San Diego College for Women and San Diego University (comprising the College for Men and Sch ...
in 1979.
Political career
In
2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
, Matsunaka ran against fellow state senator Musgrave for the open seat in the 4th District, which includes the cities of
Greeley, Loveland,
Longmont, and
Fort Collins, as well much of the
Colorado Eastern Plains
The Eastern Plains of Colorado refers to a region of the U.S. state of Colorado east of the Rocky Mountains and east of the population centers of the Front Range.
Geography
The Eastern Plains are part of the High Plains, which are the wester ...
; he lost to Musgrave 42%-55%.
In
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight ...
, he again challenged Musgrave, now the incumbent, who had attracted controversy in the district for her sponsorship of the
Federal Marriage Amendment
The Federal Marriage Amendment (FMA), also referred to by proponents as the Marriage Protection Amendment, was a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution that would legally define marriage as a union of one man and one woman. The FMA ...
. In addition to his accusation that Musgrave is a "one trick pony," Matsunaka also claimed that Musgrave had poor constituent services and did not give enough attention to the district's needs. This time, the election was far closer and was not decided until the last returns came in. Musgrave won by six points (51-45%) — the closest margin in the district since 1974. Matsunaka won two of the three biggest counties in the district —
Larimer County (including Loveland and Fort Collins) and the district's share of
Boulder County
Boulder County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado of the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 330,758. The most populous municipality in the county and the county seat is Boulder.
Boulder County comprises t ...
(including Longmont). However, Musgrave soundly defeated him in
Weld County
Weld County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 328,981. The county seat is Greeley.
Weld County comprises the Greeley, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Denv ...
(including Greeley); he would have unseated Musgrave had he won there.
Despite the surprisingly close 2004 results, Matsunaka ruled out another run.
Now an attorney in private practice in Loveland, Matsunaka was an advisor to
Ed Perlmutter's successful
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro votes to declare independence from Serbia; The 2006 ...
campaign for
Colorado's 7th congressional district. He is married with three grown children, Melissa, Brian, and Kristi.
References
External links
Stan Matsunaka for Congress 2004 website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matsunaka, Stan
1953 births
Colorado lawyers
Democratic Party Colorado state senators
Colorado State University alumni
American politicians of Japanese descent
Asian-American people in Colorado politics
Living people
People from Loveland, Colorado
People from Weld County, Colorado
Presidents of the Colorado Senate
People from Washington County, Colorado
People from Morgan County, Colorado