Jill Tokuda
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Hawaii's 2nd district
Assumed office
January 3, 2023
Preceded byKai Kahele
Member of the Hawaii Senate
from the 24th district
In office
November 7, 2006 – November 6, 2018
Preceded byBob Hogue
Succeeded byJarrett Keohokalole
Personal details
Born (1976-03-03) March 3, 1976
Kaneohe, Hawaii, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseKyle Michibata
Children2
EducationGeorge Washington University (BA)
WebsiteHouse website

Jill Naomi Tokuda (born March 3, 1976) is an American small business owner and politician serving as the U.S representative for Hawaii's 2nd congressional district since 2023.[1][2]

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.

Background and education

Tokuda was born and raised in Kaneohe, Hawaii. She is a fourth-generation Japanese American.[3]

Tokuda earned her BA in international relations with a minor in Japanese studies from George Washington University.[4][5][6] While at GW, she was active in the College Democrats.[7] She was the first member of her family to attend college.[8]

Early career in Hawaiʻi

Tokuda was elected to the Hawaiʻi Senate in 2006, running unopposed in the September 23 Democratic primary.[9] She defeated Republican nominee Keoki Leongwon in the November 7 general election with 9,429 votes (55.6%).[10]

Tokuda was reelected in 2010. She was not challenged for renomination and won the November 2 general election with 10,010 votes (56.4%) against Republican nominee Tracy Nakano Bean.[11][12]

In 2014, Tokuda was unopposed in the August 9 Democratic primary.[13] She won the November 4 general election with 13,817 votes (70.8%) against Republican nominee Kilomana Michael Danner.[14]

In 2018, Tokuda did not run for reelection, instead becoming a candidate for lieutenant governor of Hawaiʻi.[15] She lost the August 11 Democratic primary to Josh Green.[16]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Tokuda advised the Hawaiʻi Data Collaborative and helped track the progress of federal relief spending.[17]

In 2019, Tokuda was named the executive director of the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center on Maui, a position she held until her election to Congress in 2022.[18] She also served as co-director of CyberHawaii, an affiliate of CyberUSA, supporting workforce development in IT/cyber security/data science.[6]

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%.[19]

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.[20][21] She was endorsed in the primary by the Congressional Progressive Caucus.[20]

Tenure

During the 2023 Speaker election, Tokuda voted for Hakeem Jeffries for Speaker of the United States House of Representatives on all 15 ballots.[22] She was subsequently appointed to three key House Committees for her district: Armed Services, Agriculture, and Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic.[23]

On April 26th Tokuda delivered a speech on the house floor congratulating RuPaul's Drag Race season 15 winner Sasha Colby on her win.[24] Colby is the first winner of the race to be originally from Hawaiʻi.[25]

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.[26][27]

In October 2023, following the 2023 Hawaii 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.[28] 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:[29]

Caucus memberships

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.[33]

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 Hawaii, which face unique challenges in food production and access and has introduced the Grow Your Own Food Act.[34]

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.[35]

Personal life

Tokuda is Protestant.[36]

References

    1. ↑ "Here are the key primary election results from Hawaii". NPR. August 13, 2022.
    2. ↑ "Democrats Tokuda, Case Win Hawaii's Congressional Seats". Rafu Shimpo. Associated Press. November 10, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
    3. ↑ "Democrat Jill Tokuda Announces Candidacy for Hawaiʻi's Second Congressional District". Retrieved January 3, 2023.
    4. ↑ "Senator Jill N. Tokuda". Hawaii State Legislature. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
    5. ↑ "Ten GW Alumni Elected to Congress | GW Today | The George Washington University". GW Today. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
    6. 1 2 Inefuku, Terri (July 18, 2022). "HSTA recommends Jill Tokuda for Hawaii's Second Congressional District". Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
    7. ↑ "From Her Seat in Congress, Alumna Empowers Future Leaders | GW Today | The George Washington University". GW Today. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
    8. ↑ "2022 Election: Jill N. Tokuda". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. July 6, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
    9. ↑ "Primary Election 2006 – State of Hawaii – Statewide" (PDF). Office of Elections. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
    10. ↑ "General Election 2006 – State of Hawaii – Statewide" (PDF). Office of Elections. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
    11. ↑ "Primary Election 2010 – State of Hawaii – Statewide" (PDF). Office of Elections. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
    12. ↑ "General Election 2010 – State of Hawaii – Statewide" (PDF). Office of Elections. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
    13. ↑ "Primary Election 2014 – State of Hawaii – Statewide" (PDF). Office of Elections. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
    14. ↑ "General Election 2014 – State of Hawaii – Statewide" (PDF). Office of Elections. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
    15. ↑ Dayton, Kevin (August 2, 2017). "Tokuda announces plans to run for lieutenant governor". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
    16. ↑ "Primary Election 2018 – State of Hawaii – Statewide" (PDF). Office of Elections. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
    17. ↑ Mangieri, Gina (March 18, 2021). "Tracking unspent federal relief money with billions more on the way". KHON2.
    18. ↑ "Former state Sen. Tokuda to lead nisei veterans center". Maui News. January 4, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
    19. ↑ Grube, Nick; Blair, Chad (November 9, 2022). "Hawaii Congress Election Results: Tokuda To Be Next US Representative". Honolulu Civil Beat. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
    20. 1 2 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.
    21. ↑ "How A Surge Of Super PAC Money Upended A Hawaii Congressional Primary". Yahoo Finance. August 12, 2022. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
    22. ↑ 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.
    23. ↑ "US Rep. Jill Tokuda brings local military, agriculture issues to House committees". Hawai'i Public Radio. February 23, 2023. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
    24. ↑ Jill Tokuda Praises RuPaul's Drag Race Winner Sasha Colby On The House Floor, retrieved July 11, 2023
    25. ↑ "Hawaii Rep celebrates Sasha Colby's Drag Race win on House floor". GAY TIMES. April 28, 2023. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
    26. ↑ "H.Con.Res. 21: Directing the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of … -- House Vote #136 -- Mar 8, 2023".
    27. ↑ "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.
    28. ↑ "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.
    29. ↑ "Jill N. Tokuda". Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
    30. ↑ "Progressive Caucus". Progressive Caucus. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
    31. ↑ "CAPAC Members Observe Day of Remembrance". Rafu Shimpo. February 25, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
    32. ↑ "Tokuda speaks up for rural health reform". spectrumlocalnews.com. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
    33. ↑ "U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda attends state abortion protection bill hearing". Hawai'i Public Radio. March 16, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
    34. ↑ "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.
    35. ↑ Nakaso, Dan (January 28, 2023). "U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda will have Red Hill, Navy oversight". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
    36. ↑ "Faith on the Hill: The religious composition of the 118th Congress". Pew Research Center. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
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