1. Charles Djou was defeated in the November 2010 general election by Colleen Hanabusa.
49 Facts About Charles Djou
2.
Charles Djou's election made him the first Thai American, as well as the first Republican of Chinese American descent, to serve in the House of Representatives.
3.
In 2018, Charles Djou left the Republican Party due to his opposition to then-President Donald Trump.
4.
Charles Djou supported Democratic nominee Joe Biden's candidacy in the 2020 presidential election.
5.
Charles Djou was born on August 9,1970 in Los Angeles, California to a Chinese father from Shanghai and a Thai Chinese mother from Bangkok.
6.
Charles Djou grew up in Hawaii after his father's employer transferred him there when Charles Djou was three.
7.
Charles Djou earned his JD degree at the USC Gould School of Law at the University of Southern California.
8.
Charles Djou is a colonel in the United States Army Reserve.
9.
Charles Djou has taught as an adjunct professor of law at the University of Hawaii and as an adjunct professor of political science at Hawaii Pacific University.
10.
Charles Djou was Vice Chairman of the Hawaii Republican Party from 1998 to 1999 and was later named legislator of the year by Small Business Hawaii in 2002,2004, and 2006.
11.
In 1998, Charles Djou ran as a Republican for the Hawaii State House of Representatives District 47 seat.
12.
Charles Djou was unopposed in the primary election, but lost to Iris Ikeda Catalani in the general election by 190 votes.
13.
Charles Djou won the race with 52.5 percent of the vote to Catalani's 44.2 percent.
14.
Charles Djou launched a successful campaign to open the State Budget worksheets to the public after being told he could look at the budget worksheets in the committee room but was not allowed to take any notes or make copies of them.
15.
Charles Djou opposed the state "van cam" program launched in 2002 to catch speeders using automated cameras instead of police officers, and successfully campaigned for its elimination.
16.
In 2002, Charles Djou announced he would run for the Honolulu City Council.
17.
Charles Djou announced he would move to East Honolulu from Kaneohe to avoid running against fellow Republican Stan Koki.
18.
Charles Djou won with 51.3 percent of the vote to Fishman's 39.2 percent.
19.
Charles Djou was unopposed and won the seat by default.
20.
In 2002, Charles Djou was elected to the Honolulu City Council, representing District IV.
21.
Charles Djou was reelected in 2006 and was on the council until his election to Congress.
22.
In March 2008, Charles Djou announced well ahead of time that he would run for US Congress in the 2010 cycle, seeking Hawaii's 1st congressional district seat.
23.
Charles Djou was endorsed by former Massachusetts Governor and Presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
24.
Charles Djou subsequently endorsed Romney for president in the summer of 2011.
25.
Former Hawaii Congresswoman Patricia Saiki, a Republican for whom Charles Djou had once volunteered as a teenager, was Charles Djou's honorary campaign chair.
26.
Charles Djou defeated five Democrats, four Republicans, and four independent candidates.
27.
Charles Djou was sworn in three days later and was in office for the remainder of Abercrombie's 2010 term, serving from May 2010 to January 2011.
28.
Charles Djou was the first Republican to represent the district in 20 years.
29.
Charles Djou followed Abercrombie and Patsy Mink as the third person to have been in the Honolulu City Council, Hawaii State Legislature and US Congress, and was the first to be elected to all three chambers before age 40.
30.
Charles Djou had opposed Hawaii House Bill 444 in 2009, a bill to legalize civil unions for same-sex and opposite-sex couples, and supported the federal Defense of Marriage Act.
31.
Charles Djou stated that lawmakers "ignored the will of the people" who enacted Hawaii Constitutional Amendment 2 in 1998.
32.
Charles Djou was one of a handful of Congressional Republicans who voted in favor of an amendment to the 2011 Department of Defense Authorization Bill that would repeal the "Don't ask, don't tell" law and allow gay people to serve in the US military.
33.
Charles Djou supported comprehensive immigration reform and was one of eight Republicans who voted for the DREAM Act to allow immigrants brought to the US as children earn citizenship through service in the military or obtaining a college education and a job.
34.
On May 28,2010, Djou spoke on the floor of the House in support of approving the South Korean Free Trade Agreement, which was signed by former president George W Bush on June 30,2007.
35.
Charles Djou was one of only two Republican incumbents to lose a general election in 2010, along with Joseph Cao in Louisiana.
36.
Charles Djou announced on August 17,2011, that he would challenge Hanabusa in the 1st district in 2012.
37.
Charles Djou announced on June 7,2016 that he was running for the nonpartisan office of Mayor of Honolulu against incumbent Mayor Kirk Caldwell, former Mayor Peter Carlisle, and at least ten others.
38.
Charles Djou served as the Hawaii state campaign chair of John Kasich's 2016 presidential campaign and urged voters before the 2016 Hawaii caucuses to reject Donald Trump.
39.
In 2018, Charles Djou left the Republican Party, citing concerns with its policies and President Trump's character.
40.
On July 9,2020, Republican Voters Against Trump released a video in which Charles Djou urged voters to vote against Trump.
41.
Charles Djou is a member of the ReFormers Caucus of Issue One.
42.
On March 9,2020, Charles Djou published an op-ed article in Honolulu Civil Beat announcing that he would not enter the 2020 Honolulu mayoral election, though he has accused Honolulu politicians of incompetence in handling important issues.
43.
In 2020, Charles Djou endorsed Democrat Joe Biden for President alongside 26 other former Republican members of Congress.
44.
In May 2022, President Biden appointed Charles Djou to be secretary of the American Battle Monuments Commission.
45.
Charles Djou is married to Stacey Kawasaki Charles Djou, a Japanese American.
46.
Charles Djou's surname is a French transliteration of the Chinese surname Zhou.
47.
Charles Djou was on the board of directors of the American Lung Association and a member of the Neighborhood Board.
48.
Charles Djou is a member of the Young Business Roundtable, the Rotary Club, and the Hawaii Telecommunications Association.
49.
Since 2010, Charles Djou has contributed op-ed articles as a writer for Honolulu Civil Beat, a local nonprofit journalism website.