Shan S. Tsutsui (born August 9, 1971) is an American politician who was the 13th lieutenant governor of Hawaii from 2012 to 2018. A member of the Democratic Party, he was previously a member of the Hawaii Senate from 2003 to 2012, and he served as President of the Senate from 2010 to 2012.[1] On January 29, 2018, Tsutsui announced his resignation, which was put into effect on January 31.
Shan Tsutsui | |
|---|---|
 Tsutsui in 2017 | |
| 13th Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii | |
| In office December 27, 2012 – January 31, 2018 | |
| Governor | Neil Abercrombie David Ige |
| Preceded by | Brian Schatz |
| Succeeded by | Doug Chin |
| 12th President of the Hawaii Senate | |
| In office November 6, 2010 – December 27, 2012 | |
| Preceded by | Colleen Hanabusa |
| Succeeded by | Donna Mercado Kim |
| Member of the Hawaii Senate from the 5th district 4th (2002–November 2012) | |
| In office 2002 – December 27, 2012 | |
| Preceded by | Redistricted |
| Succeeded by | Gilbert Keith-Agaran |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 9, 1971 Wailuku, Hawaii, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Lyndelle Lee |
| Education | University of Hawaii at Manoa (BA) |
Early life and education
editBorn in Wailuku, Tsutsui graduated from Maui High School in 1989 and received a B.A. in Economics from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in 1994.[2]
Senate
editTsutsui was a member of the Hawaii Senate from 2003 until becoming lieutenant governor in 2012. From 2003 to 2011, he represented district 4, which includes Waihee, Wailuku, and Kahului.[3] Subsequently he represented district 5.
Lieutenant governor
editFollowing the death of U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye, Governor Neil Abercrombie appointed Lieutenant Governor Brian Schatz to replace Inouye in the U.S. Senate.[4] As president of the Hawaii Senate, Tsutsui was first in line to replace Schatz as lieutenant governor.[4] After consulting with his family, Senate leaders, and Governor Abercrombie, Tsutsui accepted the position.[5] Tsutsui's successor in the Senate (who served until 2014) was selected by Governor Abercrombie from a list of three names submitted by the local Democratic Party central committee.[5] Tsutsui's position as Senate president was filled by Senate vice president Donna Mercado Kim until Senate members voted on a new president on the opening day of the 2013 session.[5]
Tsutsui was elected to a second term as lieutenant governor in 2014. Tsutsui had expected to share the ticket with Abercrombie in the general election, but Ige defeated Abercrombie in the primary.[6] He announced in October 2017 that he would not run for a third term as lieutenant governor in 2018, even though he was eligible to do so because his first term was only the completion of an unexpired term.[7]
Tsutsui resigned as lieutenant governor effective January 31, 2018, to take a job with Strategies 360, a communications firm.[8]
Personal
edit
Tsutsui and his wife Lyndelle have three daughters, Mikayla, Kaylee and Kenna.[2][9]
Electoral history
edit| Hawai'i State Senate District 4 Democratic Primary Election, 2002 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Democratic | Shan Tsutsui | 4,255 | 53.12 |
| Democratic | Jan Yagi Buen | 2,921 | 36.47 |
| Democratic | Thomas Cerizo | 834 | 10.41 |
| Hawai'i State Senate District 4 Election, 2002 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Democratic | Shan Tsutsui | n/a | 100.00 |
| Hawai'i State Senate District 4 Election, 2004 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Democratic | Shan Tsutsui (inc.) | n/a | 100.00 |
| Hawai'i State Senate District 4 Democratic Primary Election, 2006 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Democratic | Shan Tsutsui (inc.) | 6,177 | 68.32 |
| Democratic | Jan Yagi Buen | 2,864 | 31.68 |
| Hawai'i State Senate District 4 Election, 2006 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Democratic | Shan Tsutsui (inc.) | n/a | 100.00 |
| Hawai'i State Senate District 4 Election, 2008 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Democratic | Shan Tsutsui (inc.) | n/a | 100.00 |
| Hawai'i State Senate District 4 Election, 2010 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Democratic | Shan Tsutsui (inc.) | 10,931 | 77.83 |
| Republican | Eric Seibert | 3,113 | 22.17 |
| Hawai'i State Senate District 5 Election, 2012 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Democratic | Shan Tsutsui (inc.) | n/a | 100.00 |
| Hawai'i Lieutenant Governor Democratic Primary, 2014 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Democratic | Shan Tsutsui (inc.) | 120,779 | 47.36 |
| Democratic | Clayton Hee | 81,255 | 36.11 |
| Democratic | Mary Zanakis | 18,274 | 8.12 |
| Democratic | Miles Shiratori | 2,593 | 1.15 |
| Democratic | Sam Puletasi | 2,126 | 0.94 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Osher, Wendy (December 14, 2012). "House Leadership to be Determined on Opening Day". Maui News.
- ^ a b "Senator Shan S. Tsutsui". capitol.hawaii.gov. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
- ^ "State Senate chooses Donna Kim as new president". Honolulu Star Advertiser. December 28, 2012.
- ^ a b "Hawaii governor names Democrat, Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz, to succeed Inouye in US Senate". Associated Press. December 26, 2012.
- ^ a b c Tran, Cam (December 27, 2012). "Tsutsui's promotion causes ripple effect: Senate to vote on new president on opening day". KITV. Archived from the original on January 27, 2013.
- ^ "Hawaii General Election 2014" (PDF). Hawaii Office of Elections. November 4, 2014. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
- ^ Imada, Lee (October 22, 2017). "Tsutsui to pass on mayoral run in Maui County". The Maui News. Wailuku, Hawaii. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
- ^ Dayton, Kevin (January 29, 2018). "Tsutsui resigning as lieutenant governor to join private sector". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
- ^ "Lieutenant Governor's Biography | Shan S. Tsutsui". Archived from the original on 2013-03-08.