Colleen Hanabusa
Colleen Wakako Hanabusa ( born May 4, 1951 in Honolulu, Hawaii) is an American politician of the Democratic Party. Since January 3, 2011, it represents the state of Hawaii in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Lawyer and State Senator
Hanabusa was born in 1951 as the first of three children of a Japanese-American family from Waianae, just a year after the marriage of her parents. She studied at the University of Hawaii, received in 1973 her Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and sociology, and in 1975 a Master of Arts in Sociology. In 1977, she received her Juris Doctor at the William S. Richardson School of Law. In the same year she was admitted to the legal profession and started practicing.
In November 1998, Hanabusa was first elected to the Senate of Hawaii. It held there until 2010 the 21th electoral district, which includes, among other things, her hometown Waianae and Nanakuli and Makaha. From 2003 to 2007 she was Majority Leader in the Senate before it was Senate President in 2007. Hanabusa was the first woman who was holding office.
After her retirement from the Senate was Hanabusas vacant seat by Gov. Neil Abercrombie with Maile Shimabukuro, who had belonged to the House of Representatives from Hawaii up to this point have been filled. New Senate President Shan S. Tsutsui was
Hanabusa applied in November 2002 for the first time a seat in Congress. After the death of Deputies Patsy Mink were 44 candidates on the ballot; this is possible under the electoral law of Hawaii at by-elections. Behind the victorious Ed Case ( 43.7 percent ) and Matt Matsunaga ( 30.5 percent ), another state senator, she finished with 8.0 percent in third. As a case in 2006 for reelection in the second constituency of the state renounced to compete instead in the Democratic primary against U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka, himself Hanabusa tried a second time to the entry into the House of Representatives, but lost in the primaries of their party Mazie Hirono against.
In May 2010, a by-election in the first electoral district of Hawaii took place, which had become necessary after Neil Abercrombie who resigned from his mandate to prepare his candidacy for Governor of Hawaii. Since in turn took place no restrictions on the candidates, it was both of those considered liberal Hanabusa and her party rival Case, a Blue Dog, possible to pursue Abercrombie's successor. The order was split within the Democratic party took advantage of the Republican Charles Djou: He won with 39.7 percent of votes in Hanabusa ( 31.0 ) and Case ( 27.8 ).
Ahead of the Primary to the regular congressional elections in November 2010 Ed Case renounced in favor of Colleen Hanabusa then on a bid again. This then had no trouble to win their party's nomination, and sat down in the actual election with a vote share of 53.2 per cent against Djou ( 46.8 ) through which they could thus replace on January 3, 2011 at the Congress. She was one of only three Democrats who have won one previously held by Republicans seat; This also succeeded John C. Carney in Delaware and Cedric Richmond in Louisiana. In the elections of 2012 Hanabusa met again on Djou and won with 55.45 percent of the vote.
Hanabusa is a member of the Armed Services Committee and the Committee on Natural Resources in Congress. Mazie Hirono and Hank Johnson Apart from Georgia is one of three Buddhist deputies.
After the death of the Senate President pro tempore, Daniel Inouye, on December 17, 2012 Hanabusa was the first contender for the Senate seat. Inouye had said shortly before his death in a letter to Governor Abercrombie 's desire to appoint deputies to his successor. In the month before the official Mazie Hirono older deputies had been elected as successor of Senator Daniel Akaka no longer candidates. However, Abercrombie appointed on 26 December 2012 will not Hanabusa, but Brian Schatz, who was deputy governor of Hawaii until then, as his successor in the Senate Inouyes.