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Mazie Hirono

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Mazie Hirono
NameMazie Hirono
CaptionOfficial portrait, 2013
StateHawaii
Jr/srUnited States Senator
AlongsideBrian Schatz
Term startJanuary 3, 2013
PredecessorDaniel Akaka
State1Hawaii
District12nd
Term start1January 3, 2007
Term end1January 3, 2013
Predecessor1Ed Case
Successor1Tulsi Gabbard
Office29th Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii
Governor2Ben Cayetano
Term start2December 2, 1994
Term end2December 2, 2002
Predecessor2Ben Cayetano
Successor2Duke Aiona
State house3Hawaii
District320th
Term start31981
Term end31994
Birth nameMazie Keiko Hirono
Birth date3 November 1947
Birth placeKoori, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan
PartyDemocratic
SpouseLeighton Oshima, 2018
EducationUniversity of Hawaii at Manoa (BA), Georgetown University (JD)
Websitehirono.senate.gov

Mazie Hirono is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States Senator from Hawaii since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Hawaii's 2nd congressional district from 2007 to 2013 and as the ninth Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii from 1994 to 2002. Hirono is the first Asian-American woman elected to the Senate, the first Japanese-American senator, and the first U.S. senator born in Japan.

Early life and education

Born in Koori, Fukushima Prefecture, she immigrated to the United States with her mother and older brother in 1955, settling in Honolulu. She attended Kaimuki High School before earning a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 1970. She then moved to Washington, D.C., to attend Georgetown University Law Center, where she received her Juris Doctor in 1978.

Early career

After law school, she returned to Hawaii and worked as a staff attorney for the Hawaii State Legislature's House of Representatives. She entered electoral politics in 1980, winning a seat in the Hawaii House of Representatives, where she served for fourteen years, including a stint as the Majority Leader of the Hawaii House of Representatives.

U.S. House of Representatives

In 2006, she was elected to the U.S. House from Hawaii's 2nd congressional district, succeeding Ed Case. During her three terms, she served on the House Education and Labor Committee and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. She was a strong advocate for the Affordable Care Act and supported environmental protections for the Pacific Ocean.

U.S. Senate

In 2012, she won the open Senate seat being vacated by retiring Senator Daniel Akaka, defeating former Governor Linda Lingle. She was reelected in 2018, defeating state legislator Ron Curtis. In the Senate, she serves on the Judiciary Committee, the Veterans' Affairs Committee, the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and the Small Business Committee. She gained national attention for her pointed questioning during the Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.

Political positions

A progressive Democrat, she is a staunch supporter of Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, and comprehensive immigration reform. She is a vocal critic of the Trump administration and has been a leading advocate for women's rights, including access to abortion services. She has introduced legislation to protect the Robert's Akaka Falls and has worked on issues related to Native Hawaiians, military families, and veterans' healthcare.

Personal life

She is a Buddhist and was diagnosed with stage 4 kidney cancer in 2017, undergoing treatment while continuing her Senate duties. She married her longtime partner, Leighton Oshima, in 2018. Her memoir, *Heart of Fire*, was published in 2021.

Category:1947 births Category:Living people Category:American lawyers Category:Democratic Party United States senators Category:Georgetown University Law Center alumni Category:Hawaii Democrats Category:Japanese emigrants to the United States Category:Lieutenant Governors of Hawaii Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives from Hawaii Category:University of Hawaii at Manoa alumni Category:United States senators from Hawaii Category:Women state legislators in Hawaii