Stanley Toshi Matsunaka (born November 12, 1953) is a former Democratic member of the

Colorado State Senate The Colorado State Senate is the upper house of the Colorado General Assembly, the state legislature of the US state of Colorado. It is composed of 35 members elected from single-member districts, with each district having a population of about ...

, serving from 1995 to 2003. He served as President of the Senate for two years. In both the

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

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 60 ...

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 se ...

for

Colorado's 4th congressional district Colorado's 4th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Colorado. Located in the eastern part of the state, the district encompasses most of the rural Eastern Plains, as well as portions of the Colorado Front Range ...

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. Origina ...

, on November 12, 1953, to Mary and Harry Matsunaka. He graduated from Fort Morgan High School in 1971 then received a

Bachelors of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

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, United States. It is the flagship university of the Colorado State University Syst ...

in 1975 and a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

from the

University of San Diego The University of San Diego (USD) is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic research university in San Diego, California, United States. Chartered in 1949 as the independent San Diego College for Women and San Diego University ...

in 1979.

Political career

, Matsunaka ran against fellow state senator Musgrave for the open seat in the 4th District, which includes the cities of Greeley, Loveland,

Longmont Longmont is a home rule municipality located in Boulder and Weld counties, Colorado, United States. Its population was 98,885 . Longmont is located northeast of the county seat of Boulder. It is named after Longs Peak, a prominent mountain th ...

, and

Fort Collins A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...

, 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 weste ...

; he lost to Musgrave 42%-55%. In

, 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 Article Five of the United States Constitution, amendment to the United States Constitution that would legally define marria ...

. 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 Larimer County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 359,066. The county seat and most populous city is Fort Collins, Colorado, Fort Colli ...

(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 th ...

(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 Denve ...

(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 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

campaign for

Colorado's 7th congressional district Colorado's 7th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Colorado. Formerly located only in the northeast part of the state, the district now encompasses the western parts of the Denver metropolitan area, including ...

. 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 Asian American and Pacific Islander state legislators 20th-century members of the Colorado General Assembly 21st-century members of the Colorado General Assembly 20th-century American politicians of Asian descent 21st-century American politicians of Asian descent