Mike Honda | |
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Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California | |
In office January 3, 2001 – January 3, 2017 | |
Preceded by | Tom Campbell |
Succeeded by | Ro Khanna |
Constituency |
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Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee | |
In office 2005–2013 | |
Leader | |
Preceded by | Gloria Molina |
Succeeded by | Tulsi Gabbard |
Deputy Chair of the Democratic National Committee | |
In office 2003–2005 Serving with Susan Turnbull | |
Leader | Terry McAuliffe |
Preceded by | Position established |
Succeeded by | Keith Ellison (2017) |
Member of the California Assembly from the 23rd district | |
In office December 2, 1996 - November 30, 2000 | |
Preceded by | Dominic Cortese |
Succeeded by | Manny Diaz |
Personal details | |
Born | Makoto Honda[1] June 27, 1941 Walnut Grove, California, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Jeanne (d. 2004) |
Children | 2 |
Education | San Jose State University (BA, MA) |
Michael Makoto Honda (born June 27, 1941) is an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in Congress from 2001 to 2017.
Initially involved in education in California, he first became active in politics in 1971, when then San Jose mayor Norman Mineta appointed Honda to the city's Planning Commission. Mineta later joined both the Bush and Clinton cabinets. After holding other positions, Honda was elected to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors in 1990, and to the California State Assembly in 1996, where he served until 2001.
In November 2003, Democratic National Committee chair Terry McAuliffe appointed Honda as deputy chair of the DNC. In February 2005, Honda was elected a vice chair of the Democratic National Committee under the chairmanship of Howard Dean. In 2009, Honda was reelected for a second term as DNC vice chair, under the chairmanship of former Virginia governor Tim Kaine; he served in this role until 2013.
Honda became the subject of an ethics investigation by the United States House Committee on Ethics in 2015 for the alleged use of taxpayer resources to bolster his 2014 re-election campaign. He was defeated for re-election in 2016 by fellow Democrat Ro Khanna.