Mazie Hirono
Mazie Keiko Hirono is a Japanese-born American politician serving since 2013 as the junior United States Senator from Hawaii. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Hirono served as a member of the Hawaii House of Representatives from 1981 to 1995 and as Hawaii's ninth lieutenant governor from 1994 to 2002, under Ben Cayetano. The Democratic nominee for governor of Hawaii in 2002, Hirono was defeated by Republican Linda Lingle. From 2007 to 2013, she served as a member of the United States House of Representatives for Hawaii's 2nd congressional district.
Hirono is the first elected female senator from Hawaii, the first Asian-American woman elected to the Senate, the first U.S. senator born in Japan, and the nation's first Buddhist senator. She considers herself a non-practicing Buddhist and is often cited with Hank Johnson as the first Buddhist to serve in the United States Congress. She is the third woman to be elected to Congress from Hawaii. In 2012, Hirono was the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by the retirement of Daniel Akaka. Hirono won the election, defeating Lingle in a landslide, 63% to 37%. She was sworn in on January 3, 2013, by Vice President Joe Biden. Hirono was the only person of Asian ancestry serving in the U.S. Senate from 2013 until 2017, when senators Tammy Duckworth and Kamala Harris were sworn in, representing Illinois and California, respectively. Although Brian Schatz joined the Senate a week before Hirono, following the death of Daniel Inouye, making him Hawaii's senior senator, Hirono's three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives make her the, or longest-serving member overall, of Hawaii's congressional delegation.
Early life and education
Mazie Hirono was born on November 3, 1947, in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan to Sato Laurie Chie, an American citizen of Japanese descent, and Hirono Matabe, a Japanese veteran of World War II. Mazie's maternal grandfather, Satō Hiroshi, immigrated to Hawaii to work on sugar plantations in Hawaii at the age of 16; her grandmother, Tari Shinoki, was a picture bride. After finding plantation work difficult, the couple opened a bathhouse on River Street in Honolulu in 1928. The couple had a daughter, Sato Laura Chie, in 1924, and a son, Akira. In 1939 Tari returned to Japan with their son and daughter; Hiroshi remained behind to run the bathhouse for two more years before rejoining his family in 1941. Though Laura felt out of place in Japan, in 1946, aged 22, she married a veterinarian, Hirono Matabe, and moved with her husband to southern Fukushima. The couple had three children, Roy, Mazie and Wayne; Mazie was the middle child and only surviving daughter.Mazie's father, Matabe, was a compulsive gambler and alcoholic who pawned his wife's possessions for gambling money. Treated "like a slave" by her in-laws, Hirono said, Laura left her abusive marriage in 1951. The deciding moment for her came after her brother, Akira, who had returned to Hawaii after the war, sent some money for a school uniform for Laura's son Wayne, but her husband took it to buy an overcoat. As Laura later recounted, "My brother sent money to buy a school uniform for my son. My husband took the money, went to town and never came back home. It was getting closer to the start of school, so I went to look for him. I found out he had ordered an overcoat for himself with the money. He didn't need an overcoat in the spring. That's when I made up my mind to leave." After telling her in-laws she was going to take her elder son and Mazie to school in her hometown, Laura left the house, never to return. Selling her clothes for the rail fare, she returned to her parents' house. Laura said, "My husband never came around once; my parents were supportive and took all of us in. My mother gave us money. I guess it all boils down to love."
The Sato-Hirono family decided to return to Hawaii, but as Tari and Hirosho were solely Japanese citizens and lacked a skilled profession, they could immigrate only under a quota system. As Laura had citizenship, she decided to return first. As Wayne was only three, Laura left him with her parents and flew to Hawaii with Mazie and Roy in March 1955, sending for Wayne and her parents in 1957.
"She determined that she had to get away, and it wasn't enough to even be living in the same country—she wanted to put thousands of miles between them," Hirono said. "That took a lot of courage. I always tell my mom there is nothing I can do harder than what she did."
After first living with Mazie's uncle Akira, the family moved into a rooming house on Kewalo Street in Honolulu. "The first place had one room, one table, three chairs and one bed," Laura said. "Mazie and Roy slept on the bed. I slept on the floor with a futon. The landlady was so nice. The rent was $35, but she charged us less because I didn't have a job." Laura began working for the Hawaii Hochi as a typesetter and also worked three nights a week for a catering company. Mazie worked in the school cafeteria and had a paper route.
Though money was tight and the family was forced to move often, Laura kept them together. Mazie recalled that she and her brother used to get a dime once or twice a week from their mother. "We both had baseball piggy banks. My older brother spent all his dimes but I saved mine. But one day I came home and the dimes were gone. My mother had to use it to buy food."
Hirono never saw her father again, and he has since died. Laura became a newspaper proofreader in 1961 and retired from the Hawaii Newspaper Agency in 1986; Roy became a Hawaiian Electric supervisor. Wayne drowned in 1978, aged 26. Her grandfather, Hiroshi, died in 1989, and her grandmother Tari died in 2000 at age 99.
Raised in Honolulu, Hirono became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1959, the year Hawaii became a state. She attended Kaahumanu Elementary and Koko Head Elementary Schools. She later graduated from Kaimuki High School, which at the time of her attendance had a predominantly Japanese American student body. Hirono then enrolled at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa, graduating Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. in psychology in 1970. She left Hawaii to attend Georgetown University Law Center, where she obtained her J.D. degree in 1978. Hirono returned to Honolulu, where she practiced law.
Hawaii House of Representatives (1981–1994)
Elections
In 1980 Hirono was elected to Hawaii's 12th House District in a multi-member district with Democratic State Representative David Hagino. Hawaii eliminated MMDs, and after redistricting she ran for Hawaii's 20th House District and won. After redistricting again in 1984, she ran for the newly redrawn Hawaii's 32nd House District and won. In 1992, after redistricting, she ran in the newly redrawn Hawaii's 22nd House District. She won the three-candidate Democratic primary with 91% of the vote. She won the general election and served only one term in the 22nd district before retiring in 1994 to run for statewide office.Tenure
From 1980 to 1994 Hirono served in the Hawaii House of Representatives, passing more than 120 laws. She was honored by a coalition of leaseholders as Legislator of the Year in 1984.Committee assignments
From 1987 to 1992 she was Chair of the Consumer Protection and Commerce Committee.Lieutenant Governor (1994–2002)
Elections
1994
Hirono ran for lieutenant governor of Hawaii and won the Democratic primary, defeating fellow State Representative Jackie Young 65%–26%. In the general election she defeated three other candidates: Danny Kaniela Kaleikini, State Representative Fred Hemmings, and Jack Morse, 37%–31%–29%–4%.1998
Hirono ran for reelection in 1998. She was challenged in the primary by Nancy L. Cook and defeated her, 89%–11%. In the general election Hirono defeated Republican State Senator Stan Koki 50%–49%, a difference of 5,254 votes.Tenure
In 1994 Hirono joined the ticket of incumbent Lieutenant Governor Benjamin J. Cayetano and was elected to a historic administration led by the first Filipino American governor and first Japanese immigrant lieutenant governor. During her tenure as lieutenant governor, she was president of the National Commission on Teaching, America's Future, and the Hawaii Policy Group. She also spearheaded the first-in-the-nation comprehensive Pre-Plus program, a precursor to universal preschool education in the United States.2002 gubernatorial election
Hirono originally wanted to run for mayor of Honolulu in a potential 2002 special election created by the vacancy of incumbent Mayor Jeremy Harris, who was planning to resign in order to run for governor of Hawaii. But due to internal controversies, Harris dropped out of the gubernatorial election and remained mayor for another two years. Hirono switched races.Hirono maneuvered to gain the support of potential Harris voters in her challenge against former State House Majority Leader Ed Case. Throughout the primary campaign, Hirono and Case polled almost equally. Hirono defeated Case in the September 21 Democratic primary, 41%–40%, a difference of 2,613 votes.
A few weeks later, Republican nominee and Mayor of Maui Linda Lingle defeated Hirono 52%–47%, becoming Hawaii's first female governor.
U.S. House of Representatives (2007–2013)
Elections
2006
On September 23, Hirono ran for being vacated by incumbent Ed Case. The Democratic primary was very competitive. There were ten candidates, seven of whom served in the Hawaii Legislature. Hirono's advantage was that she was the only candidate who had held statewide office and as a result had the most name recognition. She also raised the most money, mostly because of the endorsement of EMILY's List, and lent her own campaign $100,000. She won with a plurality of 22% of the vote. State Senator Colleen Hanabusa finished second with 21%, 845 votes short of Hirono.In the general election Hirono defeated Republican State Senator Bob Hogue, 61%–39%.
2008
Hirono won reelection to a second term with 76% of the vote.2010
Hirono won reelection to a third term with 72% of the vote.Tenure
In 2008 Hirono was named the national preschool advocacy organization Pre-K Now's "Pre-K Champion" for her efforts on behalf of pre-kindergarten legislation.Hirono co-sponsored and signed the Prevention First Act of 2007. The act aimed to increase public access to contraception and government funding to support the use of contraception. It places an emphasis on informing and protecting women from unintended pregnancy.
On May 4, 2011, Hirono voted against the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, which would have prohibited federal health care programs from covering abortion costs, with exceptions for life-threatening cases.
In July 2011 Hirono voted for the Access to Birth Control Act, which mandates that pharmacies provide birth control to customers without undue delay. The ABP Act also ensures that customers seeking birth control can obtain it without being submitted to unwanted harassment or breaches in patient confidentiality.
EMILY's List, a Democratic pro-choice action committee, pledged support to Hirono for her history of supporting contraceptive and abortion policies during her term. Its endorsement helped Hirono in her 2012 senatorial race, contributing $129,714 to her campaign.
Committee assignments
- Committee on Armed Services
- * Subcommittee on Personnel
- * Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support
- * Subcommittee on Seapower
- Committee on the Judiciary
- * Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights
- * Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and Border Security
- * Subcommittee on Oversight, Agency Action, Federal Rights and Federal Courts
- * Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law
- Committee on Veterans' Affairs
- Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
Caucus memberships
- Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
- Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus
- International Conservation Caucus
U.S. Senate
Elections
2012
On May 19, 2011, Hirono announced her candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat left open by Daniel Akaka, who was retiring at the end of his term in 2012. She won the Democratic primary election on August 11, 2012. Hirono was endorsed as one of Democracy for America's Dean Dozen. The Republican nominee was former Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle. Hirono won the general election on November 6, 2012, with 63% of the vote. She is the first female senator from Hawaii, as well as the first Asian-born immigrant to be elected to the U.S. Senate. She was a part of the first completely non-Christian Congressional delegation from the state, which continued until the election of Mark Takai in 2014 as Representative of Hawaii's 1st Congressional District.In the 2012 campaign Hirono raised $5.2 million, with approximately 52% of that from large corporations. Lingle raised $5.5 million, with 74% from large corporations. Hirono spent $5 million and Lingle $4.8 million.
2018
On November 6, 2018, Hirono was reelected with 71.2% of the vote, defeating Republican Ron Curtis.Tenure
On December 12, 2012, the Senate Democratic Steering Committee announced that Hirono would serve on the Senate Judiciary Committee, giving her influence on matters ranging from approving nominations of federal judges to setting criminal-justice policy.During the Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court nomination hearings in September 2018, Hirono became an outspoken defender of Christine Blasey Ford after Ford accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault, telling men to "shut up and step up. Do the right thing for a change."
Committee assignments (115th Congress)
- Committee on Armed Services
- * Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support
- * Subcommittee on Seapower '
- Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
- * Subcommittee on National Parks
- * Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining
- Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
- Committee on the Judiciary
- * Subcommittee on Border Security and Immigration
- * Subcommittee on Oversight, Agency Action, Federal Rights and Federal Courts
- * Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law
- * Subcommittee on the Constitution '
- Committee on Veterans' Affairs
- Joint Select Committee on Budget and Appropriations Process Reform
Caucus memberships
- Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus
Political positions
Abortion
Hirono has a 100% rating from Naral Pro-Choice America. She is also endorsed by EMILY's list for pro-choice women.Gun control
In 2016, she participated in the Chris Murphy gun control filibuster. Hirono expressed disappointment when the Democrat-proposed Feinstein Amendment and the Republican-backed background check expansion and alert system both failed to pass the Senate.Health care
On July 28, 2017, two months after undergoing surgery for stage-four kidney cancer, Hirono spoke on the Senate floor and voted against the so-called "skinny repeal" of the Affordable Care Act. MSNBC reporter Kyle Griffin filmed Hirono's speech and posted it on Twitter.In January 2019, during the 2018–19 United States federal government shutdown, Hirono was one of 34 senators to sign a letter to Commissioner of Food and Drugs Scott Gottlieb recognizing the efforts of the FDA to address the effect of the government shutdown on the public health and employees while expressing alarm "that the continued shutdown will result in increasingly harmful effects on the agency’s employees and the safety and security of the nation’s food and medical products." Gottlieb said additional staff might be called in as needed.