The hawaii delegation

congressional officials …

Hawaii’s state congressional delegation is small and diverse.

Of the four 2022-2023 class members, two are female, and two are male.  One was born in Japan and is of the Buddhist faith, while the other is a fourth-generation Japanese member.

Two delegation members are lawyers, while the others come from the political and business worlds.

None are veterans, but two are former Lieutenant Governors of Hawaii. One is also a former Green Party member.

The average tenure for the delegation is only three terms, assuming everyone completes their service through the end of 2024. The longest-serving member has been in Congress since 2012.

When you look at these profiles, we have given each a letter grade for their effort this Congress, based on various factors, which you will find in What Is Thomas Looking For? These letter grades are probably pretty familiar to you if you have ever been a school student (we hope the answer to that is we all have!)

If you see a meager score for a particular member, it will probably be due to one or two key factors: ethics challenges or anti-democratic behavior.

• Republicans have been hit hard on their lack of pushback on former President Trump and their support of election denying in the 2020 presidential campaign. The unanswered soaring deficit on their watch, the dismantling of allied relationships around the globe, and opposition to funding anti-authoritarian initiatives. The denial of climate change weighs heavily on us as well. We make no secret that transparency and Government in the Sunshine are important to us, and we further argue that some have been awful stewards of this category. None of the Hawaii delegation members voted to overturn the 2020 presidential election results on the same evening as Trump supporters stormed the United States Capitol.

• Democrats have been hit hard for their lack of progress on key matters because they do control the United States Senate and have a razor-close margin in the U.S. House of Representatives. They have not been, in our opinion, innovative or necessarily insistent on finding rational, reasonable solutions to the problems plaguing the American public today. We want to see more and better.

• Both have been dinged for being too partisan and not collaborative where evident. In our opinion, being too doctrinaire or an obstructionist to good government in the 21st century does not get one a good grade from Thomas.

We also indicate what we believe might be the outcome of these Members’ 2024 elections today. One of the two United States Senators is up for re-election in 2024.

Our prospect ratings fall into three categories:

• Safe Bet - which means what it means. These members of Congress are running strong and look to be overwhelming prospects for re-election at this time. However, we reserve the right to re-categorize their chances if necessary.

• It’s A Race - means this race is too close to call, and we can not reasonably predict who will win this seat.

• Nudging - means the seat is leaning one way or another for this candidate. We have just a small number of current members of Congress in this category. Stay tuned!

So, would you like to meet these fascinating Hawaiians? If so, keep reading on!

What is Thomas looking for?

There are no vulnerable races in Hawaii for Thomas to watch in 2024.

the senators

United States Senator brian schatz (d)

Three-term U.S. Senator Brian Schatz is a former non-profit executive and Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii who is now serving as the state’s senior senator.  A chair of the Hawaii State Democratic Party, Schatz serves on the Appropriations Committee; the Ethics Committee; the Foreign Relations Committee; the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee; and is chair of the Indian Affairs Committee.  A former member of the Green Party, Senator Schatz graduated from Pomona College, is married, and the father of two.

Thomas Take: Not up for re-election in 2024

Thomas Rank: B

Website

United states senator Mazie Hirono (d)

Hawaii’s junior senator is completing her second term in the U.S. Senate.  A former Lieutenant Governor and member of the U.S. House, Hirono serves on the Armed Services Committee; the Energy and Natural Resources Committee; the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee; the Judiciary Committee; and the Veterans’ Affairs Committee.  A graduate of the University of Hawaii with a law degree from Georgetown University, the married Senator Hirono was born in Japan and is the first Buddhist member to serve in the Senate. 

Thomas Take: Safe Bet Democrat

Thomas Rank: B

Website

the representatives