Jill Tokuda | |
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Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Hawaii's 2nd district | |
Assumed office January 3, 2023 | |
Preceded by | Kai Kahele |
Member of the Hawaii Senate from the 24th district | |
In office November 7, 2006 – November 6, 2018 | |
Preceded by | Bob Hogue |
Succeeded by | Jarrett Keohokalole |
Personal details | |
Born | Kaneohe, Hawaii, U.S. | March 3, 1976
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Kyle Michibata |
Children | 2 |
Education | George Washington University (BA) |
Website | House website |
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]
She was born in Hawaiʻi. Aside from her undergraduate years studying at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.,she has lived in the state her entire life. She 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 Hawaiʻi Senate from 2006 to 2018.
Tokuda was born and raised in Hawaiʻi. 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]
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]
On November 8, 2022, Tokuda was elected to represent Hawaiʻi's 2nd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives, defeating Republican nominee Joe Akana with 62.2% of the vote to Akana's 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]
During the 2023 Speaker election, Tokuda voted for Hakeem Jeffries for Speaker of the United States House of Representatives on all 15 ballots.[22]
On April 26th Tokuda delivered a speech on the house floor congratulating RuPaul's Drag Race season 15 winner Sasha Colby on her win.[23] Colby is the first winner of the race to be originally from Hawaiʻi.[24]
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.[25][26]
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 giving care to out-of-state patients.[27]
For the 118th Congress:[28]
Tokuda is Protestant.[31]