Summary
Current Position: US Representative of HW District 2 since 2023
Affiliation: Democrat
District: all rural and most suburban areas of Oahu/Honolulu County, as well as the entire state outside of Oahu. It includes the counties of Kauai, Maui, Kalawao, and Hawaii (“the Big Island”).
Upcoming Election:
Tokuda is one of three Japanese Americans currently serving in the House. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously represented the 24th district in the Hawaii Senate from 2006 to 2018.
In 2018, Tokuda did not run for reelection, instead becoming a candidate for lieutenant governor of Hawaiʻi. She lost the August 11 Democratic primary to Josh Green.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Tokuda advised the Hawaiʻi Data Collaborative and helped track the progress of federal relief spending.
OnAir Post: Jill Tokuda HI-02
News
About
Source: Government
Jill Tokuda represents Hawai`i’s Second Congressional District (CD2) which includes suburban and rural parts of O`ahu, the islands of Hawai`i, Kaua`i, Maui, Lana`i, Moloka`i, Ni`ihau, Kaho`olawe, and the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Elected in November 2022 to serve in the 118th Congress, Tokuda serves on the House Committee on Agriculture, the Committee on Armed Services, and the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic.
Jill’s family has called CD2 home for four generations since emigrating from Okinawa, living on Hawai`i Island, Maui, Kaua`i and on the Windward side of O`ahu. A proud product of Hawai`i’s public schools, she was the first in her family to go to college and attended The George Washington University where she earned a BA in international relations with a minor in Japanese studies.
Jill has extensive experience in both the public and private sector. From 2006-2018, she represented Kaneohe and Kailua in the Hawai`i State Senate. During her tenure she chaired the Ways and Means, Education and Higher Education, Agriculture and Hawaiian Affairs, and Labor committees. As Ways and Means Chair, Jill balanced the state’s $14 billion budget and approved all fiscal and tax measures at the Hawai`i State Legislature. She also championed legislation that established the state’s first Executive Office on Early Learning and funded the Hawai`i Keiki Program to provide access to health services in public schools. Jill also passed enabling legislation that allowed for Important Agricultural Lands to be designated and protected. This was an unmet constitutional mandate that took 30 years to pass and places the highest protections on Hawai`i’s most productive food producing lands.
Her private and nonprofit experience includes serving as Co-Director of CyberHawaii, which supports workforce development, and as the External Affairs Director of the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center where Jill raised funds to expand the facility on the island of Maui. She has served on the board of the Hawai`i Data Collaborative and the advisory board of the Hawai`i Budget and Policy Center. Jill was also a founding member of the Patsy T. Mink PAC, which supports pro-choice women seeking elected office. During the pandemic, Jill was appointed to the Hawai`i House Select Committee on COVID-19 Economic and Financial Preparedness where she worked with the state, counties and nonprofit entities to track the progress of over $21 billion in federal relief that came into Hawai`i and provide information and analysis to aid in the distribution and management of these resources.
Jill is married to Kyle Michibata. They have two sons, Aden and Matt, who attend the same public schools their parents graduated from – King Intermediate and James B. Castle High School. Their family also includes their chiweenie named Bailey, who holds the distinction of having more likes on social media than anyone else in the family!
Jill is driven by the goal of making sure Hawai`i is a place where her sons and all of our children can see a future for themselves in this place we call home.
Personal
Full Name: Jill N. Tokuda
Gender: Female
Family: Husband: Kyle; 2 Children: Matt, Aden
Birth Place: Kaneohe, HI
Home City: Kaneohe, HI
Source: Vote Smart
Education
BA, International Relations, George Washington University, 1994-1997
Political Experience
Representative, United States House of Representatives, Hawaii, District 2, 2023-Present
Candidate, Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii, 2018, 2022
Candidate, United States House of Representatives, Hawaii, District 2, 2022
Senator, Hawaii State Senate, District 24, 2006-2019
Majority Whip, Hawaii State Senate, 2009-2011
Professional Experience
President, Kalliope, Limited Liability Corporation, 2014-present
Co-Director, CyberHawaii, present
Former President, Charitable Ventures, Incorporated
Founder, Charitable Ventures, Incorporated
Former Director of Development, National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii
Former Executive Aide, Office of Lieutenant Governor Mazie Hirono
Former Director of Community Relations, Reynolds Recycling
Offices
Washington, D.C. Office
1005 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-4906
Hawaiʻi District Office
700 Bishop St.
Suite 1902
Honolulu, HI 96813
Phone: (808) 746-6220
Contact
Email: https://tokuda.house.gov/biography
Web Links
Politics
Source: none
Finances
Source: Vote Smart
Committees
Committee on Agriculture
o Subcommittee on Conservation, Research, and Biotechnology
o Subcommittee on Nutrition, Foreign Agriculture, and Horticulture
o Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry
Committee on Armed Services
o Subcommittee on Military Personnel
o Subcommittee on Readiness
Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic
Caucuses
Bipartisan Rural Health Care Caucus, Founding Member and Co-Chair
Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, Freshman Representative
Congressional Progressive Caucus, Vice Chair for Communications
Democratic Women’s Caucus
Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus
Congressional Native American Caucus
House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC)
Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission
Rural Broadband Caucus
House Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism
House Oceans Caucus
National Marine Sanctuaries Caucus
Black Maternal Health Caucus
Congressional Mental Health Caucus
Bipartisan Health Care Innovation Caucus
Agriculture Research Caucus
Invasive Species Caucus
Congressional Pacific Islands Caucus
U.S.-Japan Caucus
Congressional Taiwan Caucus
Caucus on India and Indian Americans
Congressional Ukraine Caucus
Women, Peace, and Security Caucus
Shellfish Caucus
Cut Flower Caucus
House Automotive Caucus
New Legislation
Learn more about legislation sponsored and co-sponsored by Congresswoman Tokuda.
More Information
Services
Source: Government page
District
Source: Wikipedia
Hawaii’s 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Hawaii. It is represented by Jill Tokuda, who succeeded Kai Kahele after the 2022 election. The district encompasses all rural and most suburban areas of Oahu/Honolulu County, as well as the entire state outside of Oahu. It includes the counties of Kauai, Maui, Kalawao, and Hawaii (“the Big Island”). The district spans 331 miles. The most populous community entirely within the district is Hilo. Major segments of the economy include tourism, ranching, and agriculture.
Under the U.S. Constitution, a candidate for this district has to be a resident of Hawaii, but does not have to live in the district itself. The first non-resident elected to this seat was Ed Case, a Honolulu attorney, though he was born and raised on the Big Island of Hawaii. The home state office of the second congressional district is at the Prince Kuhio Federal Building near Honolulu Harbor.
Wikipedia
Jill Naomi Tokuda (born March 3, 1976) is an American small business owner and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Hawaiʻi’s 2nd congressional district since 2023.[1][2]
The district includes much of the state which is not part of Honolulu County, Hawaii including part of the island of Oʻahu and Kauaʻi County (including the islands of Kauaʻi and Niʻihau), Maui County (including the islands of Maui, Lānaʻi and Molokaʻi) along with Hawaiʻi Island.
Tokuda is one of three Japanese Americans who currently serve in the House of Representatives. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously represented the 24th district in the Hawaiʻi Senate from 2006 to 2018.
Background and education
Tokuda was born and raised in Kāneʻohe, Hawaiʻi. She went to local public schools, attending Kāneʻohe Elementary School and Governor Samuel Wilder King Intermediate School before graduating from James B. Castle High School.[3] She is a fourth-generation Japanese American with Okinawan heritage.[4][5][6]
Tokuda earned her BA in international relations with a minor in Japanese studies from George Washington University.[7][8][9] While at GW, she was active in the College Democrats.[10] She was a first generation college student.[11]
Political career in Hawaiʻi
Tokuda was elected to the Hawaiʻi State Senate in 2006, running unopposed in the September 23 Democratic primary.[12] She won the November 7 general election with 55.6% of the vote.[13] In 2010, she was not challenged for renomination and reelected in the November 2 general election with 56.4% of the vote.[14][15] In 2014, Tokuda was again unopposed in the August 9 Democratic primary.[16] She won the November 4 general election with 70.8% of the vote.[17]
While serving in the State Senate, Tokuda was Majority Whip and chaired the Ways and Means Committee overseesing the state budget.[18] She was also chairman of the Labor, Education, Higher Education, and Agriculture Committee as well as the Senate Committee on Hawaiian Affairs. While in the legislature, she successfully fought for expanded publicly-funding of preschool in the state.[18]
In 2018, Tokuda ran for lieutenant governor of Hawaiʻi rather than reelection to the State Senate.[19] She was defeated in the Democratic Primary by Josh Green who went on to win the general election.[20]
In 2019, Tokuda became executive director of the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center on Maui, a position she held until her election to Congress in 2022.[21] She also served on the board of the Hawaii Budget and Policy Center and as co-director of CyberHawaii, an affiliate of CyberUSA, supporting workforce development in IT/cyber security/data science.[9] During the COVID-19 pandemic, Tokuda advised the Hawaiʻi Data Collaborative and helped track the progress of federal relief spending.[22]
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
2022
Tokuda was elected to represent Hawaiʻi’s 2nd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives on November 8, 2022. She defeated the Republican nominee 62.2% of the vote to 35.3%.[23]
This came after she won her primary in August 14, 2022 after her opponent Rep. Patrick Branco became the recipient of millions in outside spending funded by FTX‘s Sam Bankman-Fried among others.[24][25] She was endorsed in the primary by the Congressional Progressive Caucus.[24]
Tenure
Upon her election to the House of Representatives, Tokuda became the third Japanese American serving in the chamber along with Reps. Doris Matsui and Mark Takano and the fourth in the United States Congress alongside Sen. Mazie Hirono.
During the 2023 Speaker election, Tokuda voted for Hakeem Jeffries for Speaker of the United States House of Representatives on all 15 ballots.[26] She was subsequently appointed to three key House Committees for her district: Armed Services, Agriculture, and Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic.[27]
On April 26 Tokuda delivered a speech on the house floor congratulating RuPaul’s Drag Race season 15 winner Sasha Colby on her win.[28] Colby is the first winner of the race to be originally from Hawaiʻi.[29]
In 2023, Tokuda was among 56 Democrats to vote in favor of H.Con.Res. 21, which directed President Joe Biden to remove U.S. troops from Syria within 180 days.[30][31]
In October 2023, following the 2023 Hawaiʻi wildfires which devastated the town of Lahaina within her district, Tokuda introduced the MAUI STRONG Act which would help small businesses and nonprofits in the area survive.[32] She also introduced the Natural Disaster Tax Relief Act which would reduce tax burdens on those impacted by natural disasters.
Committee assignments
For the 118th Congress:[33]
Caucus memberships
- Congressional Progressive Caucus[34]
- Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus[35]
- Congressional Bipartisan Rural Health Caucus, Co-chair[36]
Political positions
Abortion rights
Tokuda is pro-choice. In 2023, she testified in favor of legislation in Hawaiʻi that would protect doctors who perform abortions in the state from legal repercussions for providing abortions to out-of-state patients.[37] She is a co-founder of the Patsy T. Mink PAC, named after former Rep. Patsy Mink, which works to elect pro-choice Hawaiʻi Democratic women to office.
Locally grown food and food insecurity
Tokuda advocates for the increase the quantity and quality of locally grown food in food-insecure communities, a significant step for areas like Hawaiʻi, which face unique challenges in food production and access and has introduced the Grow Your Own Food Act.[38]
Red Hill oversight
As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, Tokuda has taken a key role as a “powerful watchdog” providing oversight to the Navy’s plan to clean up Red Hill Underground Fuel Storage Facility and its impact on Oahu’s freshwater supply.[39]
Personal life
Tokuda is married to Kyle Michibata, also a graduate of James B. Castle High School in Kāneʻohe, Hawaiʻi. They have two sons, Matt and Aden, who attend public schools.[3] Their household is multi-generational. She is yonsei Japanese American and a Protestant.[40]
References
- ^ “Here are the key primary election results from Hawaii”. NPR. August 13, 2022.
- ^ “Democrats Tokuda, Case Win Hawaii’s Congressional Seats”. Rafu Shimpo. Associated Press. November 10, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
- ^ a b Inefuku, Terri (July 18, 2022). “HSTA recommends Jill Tokuda for Hawaii’s Second Congressional District”. Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
- ^ “Democrat Jill Tokuda Announces Candidacy for Hawaiʻi’s Second Congressional District”. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
- ^ “Rep. Tokuda On Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Month”. www.bigislandvideonews.com. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
- ^ Boylan, Dan (May 5, 2016). “Da Sistahs: Looking Out For Your Money”. MidWeek. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
- ^ “Senator Jill N. Tokuda”. Hawaii State Legislature. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
- ^ “Ten GW Alumni Elected to Congress | GW Today | The George Washington University”. GW Today. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
- ^ a b Inefuku, Terri (July 18, 2022). “HSTA recommends Jill Tokuda for Hawaii’s Second Congressional District”. Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
- ^ “From Her Seat in Congress, Alumna Empowers Future Leaders | GW Today | The George Washington University”. GW Today. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
- ^ “2022 Election: Jill N. Tokuda”. Honolulu Star-Advertiser. July 6, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
- ^ “Primary Election 2006 – State of Hawaii – Statewide” (PDF). Office of Elections. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
- ^ “General Election 2006 – State of Hawaii – Statewide” (PDF). Office of Elections. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
- ^ “Primary Election 2010 – State of Hawaii – Statewide” (PDF). Office of Elections. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
- ^ “General Election 2010 – State of Hawaii – Statewide” (PDF). Office of Elections. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
- ^ “Primary Election 2014 – State of Hawaii – Statewide” (PDF). Office of Elections. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
- ^ “General Election 2014 – State of Hawaii – Statewide” (PDF). Office of Elections. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
- ^ a b Yang, Mary (November 9, 2022). “Hawai’i voters put Democrat Jill Tokuda on glide path to Congress”. The Yappie. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
- ^ Dayton, Kevin (August 2, 2017). “Tokuda announces plans to run for lieutenant governor”. Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
- ^ “Primary Election 2018 – State of Hawaii – Statewide” (PDF). Office of Elections. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
- ^ “Former state Sen. Tokuda to lead nisei veterans center”. Maui News. January 4, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
- ^ Mangieri, Gina (March 18, 2021). “Tracking unspent federal relief money with billions more on the way”. KHON2.
- ^ Grube, Nick; Blair, Chad (November 9, 2022). “Hawaii Congress Election Results: Tokuda To Be Next US Representative”. Honolulu Civil Beat. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
- ^ a b Astor, Maggie (August 14, 2022). “Jill Tokuda wins a Democratic House primary in Hawaii”. The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
- ^ “How A Surge Of Super PAC Money Upended A Hawaii Congressional Primary”. Yahoo Finance. August 12, 2022. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
- ^ McCartney, Allison; Parlapiano, Alicia; Wu, Ashley; Zhang, Christine; Williams, Josh; Cochrane, Emily; Murphy, John-Michael (January 4, 2023). “Vote Count: McCarthy Elected House Speaker After 15 Ballots”. The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- ^ “US Rep. Jill Tokuda brings local military, agriculture issues to House committees”. Hawai’i Public Radio. February 23, 2023. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
- ^ Jill Tokuda Praises RuPaul’s Drag Race Winner Sasha Colby On The House Floor, retrieved July 11, 2023
- ^ “Hawaii Rep celebrates Sasha Colby’s Drag Race win on House floor”. GAY TIMES. April 28, 2023. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
- ^ “H.Con.Res. 21: Directing the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of … — House Vote #136 — Mar 8, 2023”.
- ^ “House Votes Down Bill Directing Removal of Troops From Syria”. U.S. News & World Report. March 8, 2023. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023.
- ^ “Rep. Jill Tokuda introduces MAUI STRONG Act to support Maui small businesses, nonprofits | Maui Now”. | Rep. Jill Tokuda introduces MAUI STRONG Act to support Maui small businesses, nonprofits. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
- ^ “Jill N. Tokuda”. Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
- ^ “Progressive Caucus”. Progressive Caucus. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
- ^ “CAPAC Members Observe Day of Remembrance”. Rafu Shimpo. February 25, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
- ^ “Tokuda speaks up for rural health reform”. spectrumlocalnews.com. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
- ^ “U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda attends state abortion protection bill hearing”. Hawai’i Public Radio. March 16, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
- ^ “Rep. Jill Tokuda introduces bill to increase quality, quantity of locally grown food | Maui Now”. | Rep. Jill Tokuda introduces bill to increase quality, quantity of locally grown food. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
- ^ Nakaso, Dan (January 28, 2023). “U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda will have Red Hill, Navy oversight”. Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
- ^ “Faith on the Hill: The religious composition of the 118th Congress”. Pew Research Center. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
External links
- Representative Jill Tokuda official U.S. House website
- Jill Tokuda for Congress campaign website
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
- Profile at Vote Smart
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