Who Is Brian Schatz, the New U.S. Senator From Hawaii?
'Tis the season -- for new faces in the U.S. Senate. Just nine days after South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley appointed Rep. Tim Scott to a seat, her Hawaiian counterparty Neil Abercrombie announced on Wednesday that he is appointing Lieutenant Governor Brian Schatz to a seat vacated by the death of Senator Daniel Inouye on December 17. Schatz will serve until 2014, when Hawaiians will vote in a special election for the remainder of Inouye's term, which expires in 2017. So who is the newest U.S. senator? Here's what you need to know.
1. He Shares Some Weird Parallels With President Obama: Although he wasn't born in Hawaii like Obama was, Schatz grew up there. Like Obama, he attended the Punahou School, a prestigious Honolulu high school, before heading to the Los Angeles area for college (Schatz went to Pomona, Obama to Occidental). While he was there, he studied abroad in Kenya, from which Obama's father had traveled to Hawaii. And after graduation, Schatz worked as a community organizer, leading a beach-preservation group. Now, he has one more similarity with the president: Both entered the Senate at a young age: Schatz at 40, Obama at 44.
2. He's Not Who Daniel Inouye Wanted for the Seat: In Hawaii, replacement senators are chosen by the governor from a list of three candidates submitted by the party of the departed senator. In a theatrical turn, a dying Inouye made it known that he wanted Abercrombie to appoint Colleen Hanabusa, who has represented Hawaii's first congressional district in Washington since 2011. Hanabusa was on the shortlist that Hawaii Democrats sent to Abercrombie, along with Schatz and former congressional candidate Esther Kiaaina, but Schatz won out. Inouye's chief of staff said yesterday, "Sen. Inouye conveyed his final wish to Gov. Abercrombie. While we are very disappointed that it was not honored, it was the governor's decision to make. We wish Brian Schatz the best of luck." For his part, Schatz struck a note of humility: "No one can fill Sen. Dan K. Inouye's shoes. But together, all of us can walk in his footsteps."
3. He's Plugged Into Hawaii Democratic Circles: Schatz is now the youngest U.S. senator, but he has a long history in state politics. He served four terms in the Hawaii House of Representatives, from 1998 to 2006. He lost a U.S. House primary in 2006 to Mazie Hirono and Hanabusa. Hirono went on to serve in the House and then win election to the U.S. Senate in November, replacing retiring Senator Daniel Akaka. In 2008, Schatz was state spokesman for Obama's presidential campaign and then became chair of the state party. In 2010, he was elected lieutenant governor.
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http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/12/who-is-brian-schatz-the-new-us-senator-from-hawaii/266652/?google_editors_picks=true
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