- Doris Matsui
-
Doris Okada Matsui 
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 5th districtIncumbent Assumed office
March 8, 2005Preceded by Bob Matsui Personal details Born September 25, 1944
Internment camp in Poston, ArizonaPolitical party Democratic Spouse(s) widowed, late Rep. Bob Matsui Children Brian Matsui Residence Sacramento, California Alma mater University of California, Berkeley Occupation political assistant Religion Methodist Doris Okada Matsui (born September 25, 1944) is the U.S. Representative for California's 5th congressional district, serving since 2005. She is a member of the Democratic Party. The district consists of the city of Sacramento and the surrounding area. Following the death on January 1, 2005 of her husband, Bob Matsui, who represented the district for twenty-six years, she was elected as his replacement in a special election on March 8, 2005, and took the oath on March 10, 2005.
Contents
Early life and career
Matsui was born in an Internment Camp at Poston, Arizona and grew up in Dinuba, in California's Central Valley. While attending the University of California, Berkeley, where she earned a B.A. in psychology, she met her husband. They had one child, Brian.
Matsui was a housewife and socialite and was active in the group "Lawyers' Wives", now called the Legal Auxiliary of Sacramento, while her husband was a local attorney and served on the Sacramento city council before his election to congress in 1979. The Matsui's moved to Washington DC shortly thereafter where they raised their son Brian.
Doris Matsui was a volunteer on the Clinton for President campaign. When he was elected, Matsui served on his transition team. Following the inauguration, she was appointed deputy special assistant to the president and deputy director of public liaison, working under Alexis Herman. One of her duties was to work with the Asian American community.[citation needed] The President appointed her to the board of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in September 2000.
She served in the White House from 1993 to 1998. Later she became a lobbyist in Washington where she represented corporate clients until 2005 when she returned to California to run for Congress against a field of local Democrats. Matsui vastly outspent her competitors and won the election easily.
Matsui speaks on the first day of the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado, in her capacity as convention parliamentarian.
In Congress
Matsui's husband, Bob, died from complications of myelodysplastic syndrome on January 1, 2005. On January 9, 2005, the day after his funeral, Matsui told supporters she was running for his open seat. In the special election she garnered 68% of the vote. In fact, press reports said that Matsui won the election before the polls opened as most votes in the election were absentee ballots, which she won overwhelmingly.
In her inaugural speech, she spoke of the many people who encouraged her to run and her family. She pledged to continue the work of her husband, especially regarding flood control projects in Sacramento, the main city in the district.
Matsui is a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the House Rules Committee.
In 2007, Speaker Nancy Pelosi appointed Matsui to the Smithsonian Institution's Board of Regents. Matsui is one of only three House Members to sit on the board. In 2007, Matsui was instrumental in developing an overhaul of the oversight and accountability practices of the Smithsonian.
Matsui served as convention parliamentarian of the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado.
Committee assignments
- Committee on Energy and Commerce
- Subcommittee on Communications and Technology
- Subcommittee on Environment and Economy
Caucuses and other memberships
- Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
- National Service Caucus (Co-Chair)
- Smithsonian Institution’s Board of Regents
- Smithsonian Regents’ Governance Committee
- Congressional High-Tech Caucus
Electoral history
Special Election for California's 5th Congressional District, March 8, 2005[1] Party Candidate Votes Percentage Democratic Doris Matsui 56,175 68.2% Democratic Julie Padilla 7,158 8.7% Republican John Thomas Flynn 6,559 8.0% Republican Serge A. Chernay 3,742 4.5% Republican Michael O'Brien 2,591 3.1% Republican Shane Singh 1,753 2.1% Republican Bruce Robert Stevens 1,124 1.4% Green Pat Driscoll 976 1.2% Independent Leonard Padilla 916 1.1% Democratic Charles "Carlos" Pineda, Jr. 659 0.8% Libertarian Gale Morgan 451 0.6% Peace and Freedom John C. Reiger 286 0.3% Independent Lara Shapiro 6 (write-in) 0.0% Totals 82,396 100% Voter turnout % Democratic hold United States House of Representatives elections, 2006[2] Party Candidate Votes Percentage Democratic Doris Matsui (incumbent) 105,676 70.8% Republican Claire Yan 35,106 23.6% Green Jeff Kravitz 6,466 4.3% Peace and Freedom John C. Reiger 2,018 1.3% Totals 149,266 100% Voter turnout % Democratic hold United States House of Representatives elections, 2008[3] Party Candidate Votes Percentage Democratic Doris Matsui (incumbent) 164,242 74.3% Republican Paul A. Smith 46,002 20.9% Peace and Freedom L. R. Roberts 10,731 4.8% Independent David B.Lynch 180 (write-in) 0.0% Totals 221,155 100% Voter turnout % Democratic hold References
- ^ Office of the California Secretary of State "Official Canvass," (retrieved on August 1st, 2009).
- ^ Office of the California Secretary of State "United States Representative in Congress, (retrieved on August 1st, 2009).
- ^ Office of the California Secretary of State "United States Representative in Congress, (retrieved on August 1st, 2009).
- "Who's Who in President-elect Clinton's transition team". The Washington Post. November 13, 1992. A25.
External links
- U.S. Congresswoman Doris Matsui official U.S. House site
- Doris Matsui for Congress official campaign site
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
- Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Congressional profile at GovTrack
- Congressional profile at OpenCongress
- Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
- Financial information at OpenSecrets.org
- Staff salaries, trips and personal finance at LegiStorm.com
- Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
- Appearances on C-SPAN programs
- Profile at SourceWatch
United States House of Representatives Preceded by
Bob MatsuiMember of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 5th congressional district
2005–PresentSucceeded by
IncumbentUnited States order of precedence Preceded by
Lynn Westmoreland
R-GeorgiaUnited States Representatives by seniority
257thSucceeded by
Jean Schmidt
R-OhioCategories:- 1944 births
- Living people
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from California
- Spouses of members of the United States House of Representatives
- Spouses of California politicians
- American people of Japanese descent
- Japanese-American internees
- University of California, Berkeley alumni
- American politicians of Japanese descent
- American Methodists
- Female members of the United States House of Representatives
- Women in California politics
- California Democrats
- Members of the United States Congress of Asian descent
- Asian American women in politics
- Committee on Energy and Commerce
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