1. Colleen Wakako Hanabusa is an American lawyer and politician who served as the US representative for from 2011 to 2015 and again from 2016 to 2019.
38 Facts About Colleen Hanabusa
1. 2.
Colleen Hanabusa served as Senate Majority Leader before being elected Hawaii's first female President of the Senate in 2007.
3.
On December 17,2012, after the death of US Senator Daniel Inouye, it was announced that Inouye had sent a letter shortly before his death to Governor Neil Abercrombie, stating his desire that Colleen Hanabusa be appointed to the seat.
4.
Abercrombie decided against appointing Colleen Hanabusa and selected Lieutenant Governor Brian Schatz instead.
5.
Colleen Hanabusa challenged Schatz in the Democratic primary for the 2014 special election, but narrowly lost.
6.
In 2016, Colleen Hanabusa announced her intention to run in the 1st congressional district special election to fill the remaining term of Representative Mark Takai, who died in July 2016; she won the Democratic primary for the race on August 13.
7.
On November 8,2016, Colleen Hanabusa won the special election for the remainder of Takai's term and won election to a full term; although her seniority resumed immediately, she needed to be sworn in to perform congressional duties, and she took the oath on November 14.
8.
In 2017, Colleen Hanabusa announced her decision to run for the governorship of Hawaii in 2018 rather than reelection to the US House of Representatives.
9.
Colleen Hanabusa lost to incumbent Democratic governor David Ige in the primary, and Ige was reelected to a second term.
10.
In February 2020, Colleen Hanabusa announced her campaign for Mayor of Honolulu in 2020.
11.
Colleen Hanabusa is a labor lawyer with almost 30 years of experience, and a corporate officer in a family-run corporation.
12.
Colleen Hanabusa has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America, Woodward and White, Inc.
13.
In November 1998 Colleen Hanabusa was elected the state senator from the 21st District.
14.
Colleen Hanabusa served as Senate Majority Leader before being elected the first woman president of the Senate in 2006, making her the first Asian American woman to preside over a state legislative chamber in the United States.
15.
Colleen Hanabusa was again unsuccessful, losing in the Democratic primary to former Lieutenant Governor Mazie Hirono by 844 votes.
16.
In 2002, while in the state legislature, Colleen Hanabusa emerged as the leading advocate for legislation authorizing $75 million in tax credits for Ko Olina Resort, a move she declared necessary to spur development for the Leeward area, but which others saw as a reward for a close associate and political backer, Ko Olina developer Jeff Stone.
17.
When Governor Ben Cayetano vetoed the tax credit bill, Colleen Hanabusa took the unprecedented step of suing to overturn the veto.
18.
Souza and Colleen Hanabusa, who were engaged at the time and married in 2008, then bought a $1 million home in another Ko Olina subdivision developed by Centex Homes of Texas.
19.
Ko Olina Resort eventually returned the tax credit, but the Lingle Administration and Colleen Hanabusa disagreed on how to use the returned funds.
20.
Colleen Hanabusa ran unsuccessfully in the May 22,2010, special election to serve out the remaining months of former representative Neil Abercrombie's term; then-City Councilman Charles Djou defeated her without winning a majority of the votes under the rules of the all-party election that split the Democratic vote between Colleen Hanabusa and rival Ed Case, a moderate Democrat.
21.
Shortly before his death, Inouye sent Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie a letter requesting that Colleen Hanabusa be appointed to his seat for the remainder of his term.
22.
Colleen Hanabusa submitted her name for consideration to the Democratic Party of Hawaii, which then included her on a list of three candidates for Abercrombie's consideration.
23.
On May 2,2013, Colleen Hanabusa announced she would challenge Schatz in the 2014 Democratic primary.
24.
Colleen Hanabusa was appointed, and I don't think the people have really had an opportunity to weigh in on who they want to represent them in the United States Senate.
25.
Colleen Hanabusa subsequently announced that she would run for the seat.
26.
Two weeks after his death, on August 3, Colleen Hanabusa announced that she would run in the special election on November 8,2016, the same date as the regularly scheduled election, to finish Takai's term in the 114th United States Congress.
27.
Colleen Hanabusa won both the special and general elections with more than 65 percent of the vote.
28.
Colleen Hanabusa was the third Buddhist to join the United States Congress, preceded by Hank Johnson of Georgia and Mazie Hirono of Hawaii.
29.
Colleen Hanabusa's election made Hawaii the only state with a majority non-Christian House delegation.
30.
Colleen Hanabusa was a member of the New Democrat Coalition.
31.
Colleen Hanabusa left the House at the end of the 113th Congress to run for US Senate in 2014, losing in the primary.
32.
Colleen Hanabusa became its chairperson in April 2016 and resigned from it in October 2016.
33.
Colleen Hanabusa has served on the board of directors for Hawaii Gas since June 2015.
34.
Colleen Hanabusa decided not to run for reelection to the US House of Representatives in 2018 and instead ran for statewide office, this time for governor of Hawaii.
35.
Colleen Hanabusa challenged incumbent governor David Ige in the Democratic primary.
36.
On February 29,2020, Colleen Hanabusa officially launched her campaign for mayor of Honolulu, joining several other candidates for the office.
37.
Colleen Hanabusa placed third in the August 2020 nonpartisan blanket primary and endorsed Rick Blangiardi, who won the general election in November.
38.
In July 2021, Colleen Hanabusa was elected again to the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation board of directors, and again as its chairperson, after having resigned from the role in 2016.