Daniel Akaka

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Daniel Akaka
Image:Daniel Akaka official photo 2.jpg
Junior Senator from Hawaii
Incumbent
Assumed office May 16, 1990 Serving with Daniel Inouye
Preceded by	Spark Matsunaga
Succeeded by	Incumbent (2013)

Born	September 11 1924 (1924-09-11) (age 85) Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
Nationality	American
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Mary Mildred Chong
Profession	Educator (Teacher)
Religion	Congregationalist

Daniel Kahikina "Dan" Akaka (born September 11, 1924) is the junior U.S. Senator from Hawaii and a member of the Democratic Party. He is the second U.S. Senator of Native Hawaiian ancestry^{[dubious – discuss]} and is currently the only Chinese American member of the Senate.

Akaka was born in Honolulu, Hawaii to Annie Kahoa and Kahikina Akaka.^[1] During World War II he served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, including service on Saipan and Tinian. He earned a Bachelor of Education (1952) and Master of Education (1966) from the University of Hawaii.

He was first elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1976 to represent Hawaii's Second Congressional District. He won seven consecutive elections by wide margins.

Akaka was appointed by Governor John Waihee to the U.S. Senate in April 1990 to serve temporarily after the death of Senator Spark Matsunaga (who died that month), and sworn into office on May 16, 1990. In November of the same year, he was elected to complete the remaining four years of Matsunaga's unexpired term. He was re-elected in 1994 for a full six-year term, and, with over 70 percent of the popular vote, again in 2000.

Since 2000, Akaka has sponsored legislation to afford sovereignty to native Hawaiians. The Akaka Bill is presently under consideration.

Image:Daniel Akaka at senate youth program.jpg

Akaka at Senate youth program

As of 2006, Akaka serves on the following Senate committees:

Armed Services,
Energy and Natural Resources,
Governmental Affairs (GAC), Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
Veterans' Affairs,
Indian Affairs.

He previously also served on the Select Committee on Ethics.

In April 2006, he was selected by Time as one of "America's Five Worst Senators." The article criticized him for mainly authoring minor legislation, calling him "master of the minor resolution and the bill that dies in committee".^[2]

Coincidentally, the other Senator from Hawaii is also named Daniel, Daniel Inouye. Despite almost two decades difference in Senate time, the two Daniels were born four days apart.

Akaka is married to Mary Mildred "Millie" Chong; they have 5 children (four sons and a daughter), 14 grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchildren.

1 2006 re-election campaign
2 Committees
3 Electoral History
4 Footnotes
5 External links

[edit] 2006 re-election campaign

Main article: Hawaii U.S. Senate election, 2006

Akaka won the September 23rd primary against U.S. Congressman Ed Case with 54% against Case's 46%.^[3] Akaka's Republican challenger was state Representative Cynthia Thielen, who was appointed to fill the place of Republican primary winner Jerry Coffee, who had withdrawn earlier in the year due to health reasons.

On November 7, Daniel Akaka defeated Thielen, 62% to 36%.

[edit] Committees

Committee on Veteran's Affairs (Chairman)
Committee on Armed Services (member)
- Subcommittee on Airland (member)
- Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support (Chairman)
- Subcommittee on Seapower (member)
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (member)
- Subcommittee on Energy (member)
- Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests (member)
- Subcommittee on National Parks (Chairman)
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (member)
Committee on Indian Affairs (member)
Congressional Task Force on Native Hawaiian Issues (Chairman)

[edit] Electoral History

2006 Hawaii United States Senatorial Election

Daniel Akaka (D) (inc.) 61.8%

Cynthia Thielen (R) 36.4%

Lloyd Mallan (Lib.) 1.9%

2006 Hawaii Democratic United States Senatorial Primary Election

Daniel Akaka (inc.) 53%

Ed Case 46%

2000 Hawaii United States Senatorial Election

Daniel Akaka (D) (inc.) 73%

John Carroll (R) 25%

Jeff Mallan (Lib.) 1%

1994 Hawaii United States Senatorial Election

Daniel Akaka (D) (inc.) 72%

Maria Hustace (R) 24%

[edit] Footnotes

^ http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~battle/senators/akaka.htm
^ Massimo Calabresi and Perry Bacon, Jr., "Daniel Akaka: Master of the Minor", Time Magazine, April 24, 2006, page 30.
^ "Akaka wins Hawaiʻi primary", CNN.com, September 27, 2006.

[edit] External links

Image:Commons-logo.svg

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Daniel Akaka

United States Senator Daniel Kahikina Akaka, U.S. Senate site

Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
Dan Akaka U.S. Senate, Campaign site

United States House of Representatives
Preceded by Spark Matsunaga	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Hawaii's 2nd congressional district 1977 – 1990	Succeeded by Patsy Mink
United States Senate
Preceded by Spark Matsunaga	United States Senator (Class 1) from Hawaii 1990 – present Served alongside: Daniel Inouye	Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by Larry Craig	Chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee 2007 – present	Incumbent

**Current Committee Assignments**
Committee	Position
Veterans' Affairs	Chairman
Indian Affairs
Armed Services	Chairman of two subcommittees
Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs
Energy and Natural Resources	Subcommittee chair
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs	Subcommittee chair

v • d • e United States Senators from Hawaii
Class 1: Fong • Matsunaga • Akaka Class 3: Long • Inouye	Image:Senate cap.PNG

Hawaii's current delegation to the United States Congress
Senators	Daniel Inouye (D), Daniel Akaka (D)
Representative(s)	Neil Abercrombie (D), Mazie Hirono (D)
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