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Jill Tokuda

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Jill Tokuda
Official portrait, 2023
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Hawaii's 2nd district
Incumbent
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 (age 48)
Kaneohe, Hawaii, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseKyle Michibata
Children2
EducationGeorge Washington University (BA)
WebsiteHouse website
Jill Tokuda's voice
Jill Tokuda speaks on access to adequate health care in rural communities
Recorded July 26, 2023

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]

The district includes much of the state which is not part of Honolulu County, Hawaii, including part of the island of Oʻahu and Kauaʻi County (including the islands of Kauaʻi and Niʻihau), Maui County (including the islands of Maui, Lānaʻi, and Molokaʻi), along with Hawaiʻi Island.

Tokuda is one of three Japanese Americans who currently serve in the House of Representatives. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously represented the 24th district in the Hawaiʻi Senate from 2006 to 2018.

Background and education

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Tokuda was born and raised in Kāneʻohe, Hawaiʻi. She went to local public schools, attending Kāneʻohe Elementary School and Governor Samuel Wilder King Intermediate School before graduating from James B. Castle High School.[3] She is a fourth-generation Japanese American with Okinawan heritage.[4][5][6]

Tokuda earned her BA in international relations with a minor in Japanese studies from George Washington University.[7][8][9] While at GW, she was active in the College Democrats.[10] She was a first generation college student.[11]

During the 2000 presidential election, Tokuda was listed as the Hawaii state co-chair of GoreNet.[12] GoreNet was a young-Americans-focused group that supported the Al Gore 2000 presidential campaign with a focus on grassroots and online organizing as well as hosting small dollar donor events.[13]

Political career in Hawaiʻi

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Tokuda was elected to the Hawaiʻi State Senate in 2006, running unopposed in the September 23 Democratic primary.[14] She won the November 7 general election with 55.6% of the vote.[15] In 2010, she was not challenged for renomination and reelected in the November 2 general election with 56.4% of the vote.[16][17] In 2014, Tokuda was again unopposed in the August 9 Democratic primary.[18] She won the November 4 general election with 70.8% of the vote.[19]

While serving in the State Senate, Tokuda was Majority Whip and chaired the Ways and Means Committee overseesing the state budget.[20] She was also chairman of the Labor, Education, Higher Education, and Agriculture Committee as well as the Senate Committee on Hawaiian Affairs. While in the legislature, she successfully fought for expanded publicly-funding of preschool in the state.[20]

In 2018, Tokuda ran for lieutenant governor of Hawaiʻi rather than reelection to the State Senate.[21] She was defeated in the Democratic Primary by Josh Green who went on to win the general election.[22]

In 2019, Tokuda became executive director of the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center on Maui, a position she held until her election to Congress in 2022.[23] She also served on the board of the Hawaii Budget and Policy Center and as co-director of CyberHawaii, an affiliate of CyberUSA, supporting workforce development in IT/cyber security/data science.[9] During the COVID-19 pandemic, Tokuda advised the Hawaiʻi Data Collaborative and helped track the progress of federal relief spending.[24]

U.S. House of Representatives

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Elections

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2022

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Main article: 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Hawaii § District 2

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%.[25]

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.[26][27] She was endorsed in the primary by the Congressional Progressive Caucus.[26]

Tenure

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Upon her election to the House of Representatives, Tokuda became the third Japanese American serving in the chamber along with Reps. Doris Matsui and Mark Takano and the fourth in the United States Congress alongside Sen. Mazie Hirono.

During the 2023 Speaker election, Tokuda voted for Hakeem Jeffries for Speaker of the United States House of Representatives on all 15 ballots.[28] She was subsequently appointed to three key House Committees for her district: Armed Services, Agriculture, and Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic.[29]

On April 26 Tokuda delivered a speech on the house floor congratulating RuPaul's Drag Race season 15 winner Sasha Colby on her win.[30] Colby is the first winner of the race to be originally from Hawaiʻi.[31]

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.[32][33]

In October 2023, following the 2023 Hawaiʻi 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.[34] She also introduced the Natural Disaster Tax Relief Act which would reduce tax burdens on those impacted by natural disasters.

Immediately following President Joe Biden's withdrawal from the 2024 presidential election, Tokuda endorsed Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee.[35] She went on to serve as a member of the Japanese American leadership council supporting Harris' campaign.[36]

Committee assignments

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For the 118th Congress:[37]

Caucus memberships

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Political positions

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Abortion rights

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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.[42] She is a co-founder of the Patsy T. Mink PAC, named after former Rep. Patsy Mink, which works to elect pro-choice Hawaiʻi Democratic women to office.

Locally grown food and food insecurity

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Tokuda advocates for the increase the quantity and quality of locally grown food in food-insecure communities, a significant step for areas like Hawaiʻi, which face unique challenges in food production and access and has introduced the Grow Your Own Food Act.[43]

Red Hill oversight

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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.[44]

Personal life

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Tokuda is married to Kyle Michibata, also a graduate of James B. Castle High School in Kāneʻohe, Hawaiʻi. They have two sons, Matt and Aden, who attend public schools.[3] Their household is multi-generational. She is yonsei Japanese American and a Protestant.[45]

See also

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References

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  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. ^ a b Inefuku, Terri (July 18, 2022). "HSTA recommends Jill Tokuda for Hawaii's Second Congressional District". Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  4. ^ "Democrat Jill Tokuda Announces Candidacy for Hawaiʻi's Second Congressional District". Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  5. ^ "Rep. Tokuda On Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Month". www.bigislandvideonews.com. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  6. ^ Boylan, Dan (May 5, 2016). "Da Sistahs: Looking Out For Your Money". MidWeek. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  7. ^ "Senator Jill N. Tokuda". Hawaii State Legislature. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  8. ^ "Ten GW Alumni Elected to Congress | GW Today | The George Washington University". GW Today. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  9. ^ a b Inefuku, Terri (July 18, 2022). "HSTA recommends Jill Tokuda for Hawaii's Second Congressional District". Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  10. ^ "From Her Seat in Congress, Alumna Empowers Future Leaders | GW Today | The George Washington University". GW Today. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  11. ^ "2022 Election: Jill N. Tokuda". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. July 6, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  12. ^ "GoreNet State Co-Chairs". Gore 2000. August 15, 2000. Archived from the original on August 15, 2000. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  13. ^ "GoreNet: A Network of Young Americans Dedicated to Al Gore President". Gore 2000. August 15, 2000. Archived from the original on August 15, 2000. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  14. ^ "Primary Election 2006 – State of Hawaii – Statewide" (PDF). Office of Elections. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  15. ^ "General Election 2006 – State of Hawaii – Statewide" (PDF). Office of Elections. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  16. ^ "Primary Election 2010 – State of Hawaii – Statewide" (PDF). Office of Elections. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  17. ^ "General Election 2010 – State of Hawaii – Statewide" (PDF). Office of Elections. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  18. ^ "Primary Election 2014 – State of Hawaii – Statewide" (PDF). Office of Elections. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  19. ^ "General Election 2014 – State of Hawaii – Statewide" (PDF). Office of Elections. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  20. ^ a b Yang, Mary (November 9, 2022). "Hawai'i voters put Democrat Jill Tokuda on glide path to Congress". The Yappie. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  21. ^ Dayton, Kevin (August 2, 2017). "Tokuda announces plans to run for lieutenant governor". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  22. ^ "Primary Election 2018 – State of Hawaii – Statewide" (PDF). Office of Elections. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  23. ^ "Former state Sen. Tokuda to lead nisei veterans center". Maui News. January 4, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  24. ^ Mangieri, Gina (March 18, 2021). "Tracking unspent federal relief money with billions more on the way". KHON2.
  25. ^ Grube, Nick; Blair, Chad (November 9, 2022). "Hawaii Congress Election Results: Tokuda To Be Next US Representative". Honolulu Civil Beat. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
  26. ^ a b 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.
  27. ^ "How A Surge Of Super PAC Money Upended A Hawaii Congressional Primary". Yahoo Finance. August 12, 2022. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  28. ^ 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.
  29. ^ "US Rep. Jill Tokuda brings local military, agriculture issues to House committees". Hawai'i Public Radio. February 23, 2023. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  30. ^ Jill Tokuda Praises RuPaul's Drag Race Winner Sasha Colby On The House Floor, April 30, 2023, retrieved July 11, 2023
  31. ^ "Hawaii Rep celebrates Sasha Colby's Drag Race win on House floor". GAY TIMES. April 28, 2023. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  32. ^ "H.Con.Res. 21: Directing the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of … -- House Vote #136 -- Mar 8, 2023".
  33. ^ "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.
  34. ^ "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.
  35. ^ Smith, Sunshine Kuhia (July 21, 2024). "Hawaii Democratic leaders endorse Kamala Harris as presidential nominee". KITV Island News. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  36. ^ "JAs Organize for Harris". Rafu Shimpo. August 28, 2024. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  37. ^ "Jill N. Tokuda". Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  38. ^ "Progressive Caucus". Progressive Caucus. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
  39. ^ "CAPAC Members Observe Day of Remembrance". Rafu Shimpo. February 25, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  40. ^ "Tokuda speaks up for rural health reform". spectrumlocalnews.com. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  41. ^ "Membership". Congressional Caucus for the Equal Rights Amendment. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
  42. ^ "U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda attends state abortion protection bill hearing". Hawai'i Public Radio. March 16, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  43. ^ "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.
  44. ^ Nakaso, Dan (January 28, 2023). "U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda will have Red Hill, Navy oversight". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  45. ^ "Faith on the Hill: The religious composition of the 118th Congress". Pew Research Center. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jill Tokuda.
Hawaii Senate
Preceded by Member of the Hawaii Senate
from the 24th district
2006–2018 		Succeeded by
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Hawaii's 2nd congressional district
2023–present 		Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by United States representatives by seniority
420th 		Succeeded by
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