Adrian Tam
譚家昇
Member of the Hawaii House of Representatives
from the 22nd district
Assumed office
November 3, 2020
Preceded byTom Brower
Interim Chair of the Democratic Party of Hawaii
Assumed office
December 2, 2023
Preceded byDonna Domingo (Acting)
Personal details
Born (1992-09-11) September 11, 1992 (age 31)
Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationPennsylvania State University (BA)

Adrian Tam (traditional Chinese: 譚家昇; simplified Chinese: 谭家昇; born September 11, 1992) is an American politician serving as a member of the Hawaii House of Representatives. A member of the Democratic Party, he is currently serves as the interim Chair of the Democratic Party of Hawaii.

Early life

Tam is a second-generation Asian American of Taiwanese ancestry.[1][2] His father had served as an assistant to a draftsman, and his mother worked in sales.[1] Following graduation from Kalani High School,[3] he graduated with a degree in history from Pennsylvania State University, and upon returning to Hawaii, began working for his family's real estate company.[1][2]

Political career

Tam worked in the Hawaii Senate for Senator Stanley Chang before running for public office in 2020.[4][5] He defeated incumbent Tom Brower in the Democratic Party primary election,[3][6] then won the general election for the 22nd district of the Hawaii House of Representatives against Republican Party candidate Nicholas Ochs, who previously served as the vice chairman of Donald Trump's Hawaii campaign in the 2016 United States elections, had strong support from Roger Stone and drew media attention for founding the Hawaii chapter of the Proud Boys.[7][8][9][10][11] After Tam was seated, he became the only openly gay member of the Hawaii State Legislature.[12][13][a]

Following the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol, Tam and other Hawaii lawmakers signed a letter requesting rioters to be placed on the federal No Fly List.[15][b]

Tam is a member of the Progressive Legislative Caucus.[20]

In December 2023, Tam was elected interim Chair of the Democratic Party of Hawaii by the State Central Committee. His term ends in May 2024.[21]

Personal life

Tam lives with his dog, Winston.[22]

Awards and honors

In June 2021, Queerty named Tam one of its "Pride50" people "who made a positive impact in the last year and who are helping to lead the nation toward equality, acceptance, and dignity for all queer people".[23]

Electoral history

Hawaii's 22nd House District Democratic primary, 2020
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Adrian Tam 1,964 51.9
Democratic Tom Brower (incumbent) 1,820 48.1
Total votes 3,784 100.0
Hawaii's 22nd House District General Election, 2020
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Adrian Tam 6,080 67.9
Republican Nicholas Ochs 2,869 32.1
Total votes 8,949 100.0
Democratic hold

Notes

  1. ^ During the 2020 United States elections, the Proud Boys were supported by Iranian cyber actors according to the United States National Intelligence Council (NIC).[14]
  2. ^ After returning from the failed January 6, 2021 Putsch, Nick Ochs was arrested on the evening of January 7, 2021 at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu for his participation in the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol. He retained both Myles Breiner in Honolulu and the Washington DC attorney Edward MacMahon, Jr. and entered a not guilty plea on February 12, 2021. Previously, Edward MacMahon, Jr. represented Zacarias Moussaoui, who was a 9/11 hijacker. MacMahon was involved in the proceedings during the Iran–Contra affair as well.[7][16][17][18][19]

References

  1. ^ a b c Teeman, Tim (November 5, 2020). "Meet Adrian Tam, the Gay Man Who Beat a 'Proud Boys' Leader in Hawaii's Election". Daily Beast. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Gay Asian-American defeats Alt-Right extremist in Hawai'i State House race". Los Angeles Blade. November 11, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  3. ^ a b Richardson, Mahealani. "At just 28, newly-elected lawmaker garners national attention for breaking barriers". Hawaii News Now. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  4. ^ "Candidate Q&A: State House District 22 — Adrian Tam". Honolulu Civil Beat. September 24, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  5. ^ "3 throw hat in ring to fill Mizuno's district seat". Yahoo News. January 9, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  6. ^ Cole, William (August 8, 2020). "State House Speaker Scott Saiki maintains lead over Kim Coco Iwamoto". Star Advertiser. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  7. ^ a b FBI arrests founder of ‘Proud Boys Hawaii’ after he returns to islands from U.S. Capitol riots
  8. ^ Zoellner, Danielle (November 11, 2020). "Gay Asian-American Democrat defeats Proud Boys leader for Hawaii House seat". The Independent. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  9. ^ Dayton, Kevin (November 3, 2020). "Hawaii Legislature: GOP Loses A House Seat, Stays Even In The Senate". Honolulu Civil Beat. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  10. ^ "Tam takes House Dist. 22 seat, beating opponent associated with right wing extremist group". KITV. November 4, 2020. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  11. ^ Nick Ochs And Hawaii: A Harbinger Of Local, Right-Wing Politics In Our State? Is the Proud Boy an anomaly or a sign of something deeper?
  12. ^ Venkatraman, Sakshi (November 9, 2020). "Adrian Tam defeats local Proud Boys leader, becomes only gay Asian American in Hawaii House". NBC News. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  13. ^ Hider, Alex (November 10, 2020). "28-year-old defeats Proud Boys leader to become only openly LGBTQ+ member of Hawaii House". WTVF. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  14. ^ "Foreign Threats to the 2020 US Federal Elections" (PDF). United States National Intelligence Council (NIC). March 10, 2021. p. 6. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  15. ^ "Hawaii Lawmakers Asking Capitol Rioters be Placed on No-Fly List". BIG. January 8, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  16. ^ Hawaii ‘Proud Boy,’ charged in Capitol riot, hires D.C. based lawyer
  17. ^ Hawaii 'Proud Boy' Nick Ochs hires new high-profile lawyer for Capitol case
  18. ^ Hawaii extremist group founder pleads not guilty to Capitol attack charges
  19. ^ Capitol riot spurred conspiracy charge against 31 suspects, but how hard is it to prove?
  20. ^ Blair, Chad (January 25, 2021). "Chad Blair: New Progressive Caucus Hopes To Be A Force At The Legislature". Civil Beat. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
  21. ^ "Democratic Party of Hawai'i Elects Interim Party Chair". MauiNow. December 3, 2023. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
  22. ^ "Adrian Tam Defeats One of the Proud Boys And Makes History in Hawaii: Rainbow Wave". Logo TV. April 2, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  23. ^ "Queerty Pride50 2021 Honorees". Queerty. May 31, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
Categories