2006 New Member Profiles
Hawaii's 2nd District: Mazie Hirono (D)
The Almanac of American Politics
© National Journal Group Inc.
| Mazie Hirono |
| Born: |
Nov. 3, 1947 |
| Family: |
Husband, Leighton Kim Oshima |
| Religion: |
Buddhist |
| Education: |
University of Hawaii, B.A. 1970; Georgetown University, J.D. 1978 |
| Career: |
State legislative aide; state deputy attorney general |
Elected
Office: |
Hawaii House, 1980-1994; Hawaii lieutenant governor, 1994-2002
|
Four years after a seemingly career-ending loss in Hawaii's gubernatorial race,
Mazie Hirono completed her comeback by winning the seat of Democratic Rep.
Ed Case, who ran for the Senate.
Hirono's 2002 loss came at a time of deep political unrest in traditionally Democratic Hawaii. The state had endured several years of corruption scandals, painful budget woes, and an acrimonious teachers strike; longtime Democratic Rep. Patsy Mink also died that year, further reordering the political landscape. Against that backdrop, Hirono's lackluster and poorly organized campaign never gained momentum, allowing Republicans to win the governorship for the time since 1959.
Despite the stunning loss, Hirono, a former lieutenant governor, remained engaged in politics. She created the Patsy Mink political action committee to assist state-level Democratic female candidates who support abortion rights. When Case announced in January that he would wage what ultimately was an unsuccessful primary challenge against Democratic Sen. Daniel Akaka, Hirono and a host of other prominent candidates -- including one-fifth of the state Senate -- jumped into the race for Case's House seat.
Hirono's statewide recognition and ties to the state Democratic establishment gave her an edge in a 10-way Democratic primary filled with experienced campaigners. But she also had a highly compelling personal story to tell.
Hirono's mother, along with her two children, escaped an abusive marriage by emigrating from Japan to Hawaii in 1955. They shared a single bed in a boarding-house room; 10-year-old Mazie was forced to work to help support the family. She learned English in the public schools, graduated from the University of Hawaii, and then, fresh out of college, ran unsuccessfully for the state House.
After attending law school on the mainland, Hirono returned home and went to work in the Hawaii attorney general's office. Two years later, she won a seat in the state House and held it for 14 years until being elected lieutenant governor.
With her public service background and a sizable fundraising advantage, Hirono narrowly won the splintered September 23 primary, finishing just 844 votes ahead of state Sen. Colleen Hanabusa. Hirono received 21 percent of the vote to Hanabusa's 20 percent; former state Sen. Matt Matsunaga -- son of the late U.S. Sen. Spark Matsunaga -- came in third with 14 percent.
In a district that has never been represented by a Republican, underfunded state GOP Sen. Bob Hogue struggled to stay competitive with Hirono in the fall campaign. Republicans sought to characterize Hirono as too liberal even for Hawaii -- they mocked her as a "big-government peacenik" for her support of a proposal by Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, to create a federal Department of Peace. But the attacks failed to dent Hirono.
