Jill Naomi Tokuda (born March 3, 1976) is an American businesswoman and politician serving as the
U.S representative for
Hawaii's 2nd congressional district since 2023.
Tokuda represented the 24th district in the
Hawaii Senate
The Hawaii Senate is the upper house of the Hawaii State Legislature. It consists of twenty-five members elected from an equal number of constituent districts across the islands and is led by the President of the Senate, elected from the membe ...
from 2006 to 2018.
Background and education
Tokuda was born and raised in Hawaii. She is a fourth-generation
Japanese American.
Tokuda earned her
BA in
international relations
International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such a ...
with a minor in
Japanese studies
Japanese studies ( Japanese: ) or Japan studies (sometimes Japanology in Europe), is a sub-field of area studies or East Asian studies involved in social sciences and humanities research on Japan. It incorporates fields such as the study of Japan ...
from
George Washington University
The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Chartered in 1821 by the United States Congress, GWU is the largest Higher educat ...
.
Political career
Tokuda first elected to the Hawaii Senate in 2006, running unopposed in the September 23 Democratic primary. She won the November 7 general election with 9,429 votes (55.6%) against Republican nominee Keoki Leong.
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.
2014: Tokuda was unopposed in the August 9 Democratic primary. She won the November 4 general election with 13,817 votes (70,8%) against Republican nominee Kilomana Michael Danner.
Tokuda did not run for reelection, and instead became
a candidate for
Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii
The lieutenant governor of Hawaii ( haw, Hope kiaʻāina o Hawaiʻi) is the assistant chief executive of the U.S. state of Hawaii and its various agencies and departments, as provided in the Article V, Sections 2 though 6 of the Constitution of H ...
in 2018.
In the August 11 Democratic primary, Tokuda lost to
Josh Green.
During the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
, Tokuda advised the Hawaii Data Collaborative and helped track progress on federal relief spending.
In 2019, Tokuda was named the executive director of the
Nisei Veterans Memorial Center
The Nisei Veterans Memorial Center ( ja, 二世退役軍人記念センター, ''Nisei Taiekigunjin Kinen Sentā'') is a non-profit organization, memorial, and community center, dedicated to Japanese American nisei veterans. It is located on Ka ...
on
Maui.
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
2022
On November 8, 2022, Tokuda was elected to represent
Hawaii's 2nd congressional district in the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
, defeating Republican nominee Joe Akana with 62.2% of the vote to Akana's 35.3%.
Tenure
During the
2023 election, Tokuda voted for
Hakeem Jeffries
Hakeem Sekou Jeffries (; born August 4, 1970) is an American politician and attorney and leader-elect of the Democratic caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives. Jeffries has represented New York's 8th congressional district, anchored in s ...
for
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives on all 15 ballots.
Caucus memberships
*
Congressional Progressive Caucus
The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) is a congressional caucus affiliated with the Democratic Party in the United States Congress. The CPC represents the most left-leaning faction of the Democratic Party. " e Congressional Progressive Cau ...
References
External links
Representative Jill Tokudaofficial U.S. House website
Jill Tokuda for Congresscampaign website
Senator Jill N. Tokudalegislative website
*
, -
, -
21st-century American politicians
21st-century American women politicians
American women of Japanese descent in politics
Hawaii Democrats
Hawaii politicians of Japanese descent
Democratic Party Hawaii state senators
Living people
Women state legislators in Hawaii
Year of birth missing (living people)
1970s births
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Hawaii
Asian-American members of the United States House of Representatives
Members of the United States Congress of Japanese descent
Female members of the United States House of Representatives
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