Mazie Hirono

Early life and education

Mazie Hirono was born on November 3, 1947, in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan to Laura Chie Satō, a Japanese American, and Hirono Matabe, a Japanese veteran of World War II. Laura decided to return to Hawaii with Mazie and one of Mazie's brothers in March 1955. Hirono never saw her father again before he died. Laura became a newspaper proofreader in 1961 and retired from the Hawaii Newspaper Agency in 1986.

Raised in Honolulu, Hirono became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1959. She graduated from Kaimuki High School, which had a predominantly Japanese American student body at the time. Hirono then enrolled at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, graduating Phi Beta Kappa with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology in 1970. She later attended Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C., where she obtained her Juris Doctor in 1978. Hirono then 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 multi-member districts, and after redistricting she ran for Hawaii's 20th House district and won. After redistricting again in 1984, she ran successfully for the newly redrawn 32nd House District. In 1992, after redistricting, she ran one last time in the newly redrawn 22nd House district. She easily 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

Hirono served in the Hawaii House of Representatives from 1981 to 1994, sponsoring many bills that became state law.

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 (Best Party), State Representative Fred Hemmings (Republican Party), and Jack Morse (Green Party), 37%–31%–29%–4%.

1998

Hirono ran for reelection in 1998. She defeated Nancy Cook in the primary with 89% of the vote to Cook's 11%. In the general election, Hirono defeated Republican State Senator Stan Koki, 50%–49%, a margin of only 5,254 votes.

Tenure

The election of the Democratic ticket was historic for both candidates. Ben Cayetano was the first Filipino American elected governor, and Hirono was the first Japanese immigrant to be elected lieutenant governor.

During her tenure as lieutenant governor, Hirono was president of the National Commission on Teaching, America's Future, and the Hawaii Policy Group. She also spearheaded the Pre-Plus program, a first-in-the-nation comprehensive universal preschool education program.

2002 gubernatorial election

Main article: 2002 Hawaii gubernatorial election

Hirono originally planned 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 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 worked to gain the support of Hawaii Democrats in her primary against former State House Majority Leader Ed Case. After polling almost equally throughout the race, Hirono defeated Case in the September 21 Democratic primary with 41% of the vote to Case's 40%, a margin of 2,613 votes.

In the general election, Republican nominee and Maui Mayor Linda Lingle defeated Hirono 52–47%, becoming Hawaii's first female governor.

U.S. House of Representatives (2007–2013)

Elections

2006

Main article: 2006 United States House of Representatives elections in Hawaii#District 2

On September 23, Hirono ran to represent in the House of Representatives after incumbent Ed Case chose not to seek another term. The Democratic primary was crowded and 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 led in fundraising, helped by the endorsement of EMILY's List. 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

Main article: 2008 United States House of Representatives elections in Hawaii#District 2

Hirono won reelection to a second term with 76% of the vote.

2010

Main article: 2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Hawaii#District 2

Hirono won reelection to a third term with 72% of the vote.

Tenure

In 2008, the national preschool advocacy organization named Hirono "Pre-K Champion" for her efforts to pass pre-kindergarten legislation.

Hirono co-sponsored 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. The endorsement helped Hirono in her 2012 senatorial race, contributing $129,714 to her campaign.

Committee assignments, 2012

• Committee on Education and the Workforce
  • Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education
  • Subcommittee on Workforce Protections
• Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
  • Subcommittee on Aviation
  • Subcommittee on Highways and Transit
  • Subcommittee on the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation
  • Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.

Caucus memberships, 2012

• Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
• Congressional Bike Caucus
• Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues
• Congressional Lantos Human Rights Commission
• Congressional Labor and Working Families Caucus
• Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus
• Congressional National Parks Caucus
• Congressional Progressive Caucus
• Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus
• House Oceans Caucus
• House Rural Health Care Coalition
• International Conservation Caucus
• National Marine Sanctuary Caucus
• National Service Caucus
• Port Security Caucus
• Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus
• Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition

U.S. Senate (2013–present)

Elections

2012

Main article: 2012 United States Senate election in Hawaii

In 2011, incumbent U.S. Senator Daniel Akaka announced his retirement at the end of his term in 2013. Subsequently, on May 19, 2011, Hirono announced her candidacy for Akaka's seat. She won the Democratic primary election on August 11, 2012. Hirono was endorsed as one of the Dean Dozen, a group of candidates chosen for their progressive values by Democracy for America, an organization founded by former Vermont governor Howard Dean. The Republican nominee was former Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle, who had defeated Hirono a decade earlier in the gubernatorial election. Hirono defeated Lingle 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 existed until the election of Mark Takai (an Episcopalian) in 2014 as the representative for Hawaii's 1st congressional district.

In the 2012 campaign, Hirono raised $5.2 million, with approximately 52% raised from large corporations. Lingle raised $5.5 million, with 74% from large corporations. Hirono spent $5 million and Lingle $4.8 million.

2018

Main article: 2018 United States Senate election in Hawaii

On November 6, 2018, Hirono was reelected with 71.2% of the vote, defeating Republican Ron Curtis.

2024

Main article: 2024 United States Senate election in Hawaii

Hirono was elected to a third term in 2024.

Tenure

On December 12, 2012, the Senate Democratic Steering Committee announced that Hirono would serve on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which would give 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 was 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." She also said in an NPR interview before Kavanaugh's confirmation hearings that she could vote to confirm him "if he turns miraculously into a Sotomayor".

In the wake of the January 6 United States Capitol attack, Hirono called for the resignation of Senators Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley for their opposition to certifying the 2020 presidential election Electoral College count. She also called for the Twenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution to be invoked to remove Donald Trump from office.

In April 2021, Hirono sponsored a bill attempting to decrease hate crimes against Asian Americans due to xenophobia associated with COVID-19. The bill passed the Senate 94–1, with only Hawley opposing it.

In July 2022, Hirono co-sponsored the Youth Voting Rights Act*,* comprehensive legislation to enforce the Twenty-Sixth Amendment and expand youth access to voting. This legislation, led by Senator Elizabeth Warren, was also introduced in the House by Representative Nikema Williams.

Committee assignments

• Committee on Armed Services
  • Subcommittee on Personnel
  • Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support (Chair)
  • Subcommittee on Seapower
• Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
  • Subcommittee on Energy
  • Subcommittee on National Parks
  • Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining
• Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
• Committee on the Judiciary
  • Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust and Consumer Rights
  • Subcommittee on Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action and Federal Rights
  • Subcommittee on Intellectual Property
  • Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law
• Committee on Veterans' Affairs

Select caucus memberships

• Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, Executive Board Member
• Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus
• Congressional Study Group on Japan, Co-Chair
• Creative Rights Caucus, Co-Chair
• Senate Army Caucus
• Senate Climate Change Task Force
• Senate Impact Aid Coalition, Co-Chair
• Senate Law Enforcement Caucus
• Senate Oceans Caucus
• Expand Social Security Caucus

Political positions

According to On the Issues, Hirono's voting history places her in the "left/liberal" camp. The American Conservative Union gave her a 2% lifetime conservative rating in 2020.

Abortion

Hirono has a 100% rating from Reproductive Freedom for All (formerly NARAL Pro-Choice America). She has also been consistently endorsed by EMILY's List, an organization that endorses women running on pro-choice platforms. At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Hirono told the panel: "If you don't support abortion, don't get one, but leave everyone else to the painful decisions they have to make along with their physicians".

Hirono called the June 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade "a horrific day in America". She proclaimed, "This will go down as one of the worst decisions in the history of the Court."

Gun control

In 2016, she participated in the Chris Murphy gun control filibuster. Hirono expressed disappointment when the Democrat-proposed Feinstein Amendment (banning the sale of firearms to individuals on the terrorist watchlist) and the Republican-backed background check expansion and alert system (regarding guns being sold to terrorist watchlist suspects) 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 (also known as Obamacare). 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 Food and Drugs Commissioner Scott Gottlieb recognizing the efforts of the Food and Drug Administration (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."

Hirono is a supporter of Medicare for All.

Housing

In April 2019, Hirono was one of 41 senators to sign a bipartisan letter to a Senate subcommittee on housing praising the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Section 4 Capacity Building program as authorizing "HUD to partner with national nonprofit community development organizations to provide education, training, and financial support to local community development corporations (CDCs) across the country" and expressing disappointment that Trump's budget "has slated this program for elimination after decades of successful economic and community development." The senators hoped the subcommittee would support continued funding for Section 4 in Fiscal Year 2020.

LGBTQIA+ rights

Hirono supports the right of LGBTQ+ Americans to enlist in the Armed Forces. She also supported H.R. 1681, the Every Child Deserves a Family Act, a "non-discrimination" bill that would have decertified any foster care or adoption agency, such as Catholic Charities, that did not accept same-sex foster parents regardless of religious beliefs.

Foreign policy

In January 2024, Hirono voted for a resolution proposed by Bernie Sanders to apply the human rights provisions of the Foreign Assistance Act to U.S. aid to Israel's military. The proposal was defeated, 72 to 11. In April 2025, Hirono voted for a pair of resolutions Sanders proposed to cancel the Trump administration's sales of $8.8 billion in bombs and other munitions to Israel. The proposals were defeated, 82 to 15.

Telecommunications

In April 2019, Hirono was one of seven senators to sponsor the Digital Equity Act of 2019, legislation establishing a $120 million grant program that would fund the creation and implementation of "comprehensive digital equity plans" in every state and a $120 million grant program to support projects developed by individuals and groups. The bill also gave the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) the role of evaluating and providing guidance for digital equity projects.

Personal life

In May 2017, Hirono was diagnosed with stage 4 kidney cancer, which had spread to her seventh rib. The cancer was discovered in a chest X-ray in April before minor eye surgery. Hirono's right kidney was removed on May 17, 2017, with a Cyberknife procedure to treat the rib lesion.

As of 2018, according to OpenSecrets.org, Hirono's net worth was more than $4.3 million.

In 2021, Viking Press published Hirono's autobiography, Heart of Fire: An Immigrant Daughter's Story. Marie Claire listed the book among its "25 Great Memoirs to Pre-Order Now".

Also in 2021, it was announced that Hirono would receive Japan's Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star for her "significant contributions in strengthening bilateral relations and promoting legislative exchanges between Japan and the United States".

Electoral history

References

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