Mazie Hirono | |
|---|---|
広野 慶子 | |
 Official portrait, 2013 | |
| United States Senator from Hawaii | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2013 Serving with Brian Schatz | |
| Preceded by | Daniel Akaka |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Hawaii's 2nd district | |
| In office January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Ed Case |
| Succeeded by | Tulsi Gabbard |
| 10th Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii | |
| In office December 2, 1994 – December 2, 2002 | |
| Governor | Ben Cayetano |
| Preceded by | Ben Cayetano |
| Succeeded by | Duke Aiona |
| Member of the Hawaii House of Representatives | |
| In office January 3, 1981 – December 2, 1994 | |
| Preceded by | Clifford Uwaine David Hagino |
| Succeeded by | Terry Yoshinaga |
| Constituency | 12th district (1981–1983) 20th district (1983–1985) 32nd district (1985–1993) 22nd district (1993–1994) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Mazie Keiko Hirono November 3, 1947 Koori, Fukushima, Japan |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Leighton Kim Oshima (m. 1987) |
| Residence | Honolulu, Hawaii |
| Education | University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (BA) Georgetown University (JD) |
| Signature |  |
| Website | Senate website |
Mazie Keiko Hirono (/ˈmeɪzi hiˈroʊnoʊ/; Japanese name: 広野 慶子, Hirono Keiko; born November 3, 1947) is an American lawyer and politician serving since 2013 as the junior United States senator from Hawaii. A member of the Democratic Party, Hirono previously served as a member of the United States House of Representatives for Hawaii's 2nd congressional district from 2007 to 2013. Hirono also served as a member of the Hawaii House of Representatives from 1981 to 1995 and as Hawaii's tenth lieutenant governor from 1994 to 2002, under Ben Cayetano. She was the Democratic nominee for governor of Hawaii in 2002, but lost to Republican Linda Lingle.
Hirono is the first elected female senator from Hawaii, the first Asian-American woman elected to the Senate, the first U.S. senator born in Japan, and the nation's first Buddhist senator although she considers herself a non-practicing Buddhist.[1][2] She is often cited with Hank Johnson as the first Buddhist to serve in the United States Congress.[3] She is also the third woman to be elected to Congress from Hawaii (after Patsy Mink and Pat Saiki).
In 2012, Hirono was the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by the retirement of Daniel Akaka. Hirono won the election, defeating Lingle in a landslide, 63% to 37%. She was sworn in on January 3, 2013, by Vice President Joe Biden. Hirono was the only person of Asian ancestry serving in the U.S. Senate from 2013 until 2017, when senators Tammy Duckworth and Kamala Harris were sworn in, representing Illinois and California, respectively. Hirono is Hawaii's junior senator and Brian Schatz is its senior senator. She was reelected to the Senate in 2018, and won a third term against Republican nominee Bob McDermott in 2024.
- ^ "Buddhists Get the Vote". Manitoba Buddhist Temple. November 5, 2010. Archived from the original on July 12, 2013. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
- ^ Camire, Dennis (January 5, 2007). "What happened to ... religious tolerance?". Honolulu Advertiser. Gannett Company. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
- ^ Jonathan Tilove. "New Congress brings with it religious firsts". Newhouse News Service. Archived from the original on December 19, 2006.