Daniel Akaka
| Daniel Akaka | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| U.S. Senator from Hawaii From: May 16, 1990-present | |||
| Predecessor | Spark Matsunaga | ||
| Successor | Incumbent (no successor) | ||
| U.S. Representative from Hawaii's 2nd Congressional District From: January 3, 1977 – May 15, 1990 | |||
| Predecessor | Spark Matsunaga | ||
| Successor | Patsy Mink | ||
| Information | |||
| Party | Democrat | ||
| Spouse(s) | Mary Mildred Chong | ||
| Religion | United Church of Christ | ||
Daniel Akaka, born September 11, 1924 (age 102), is a Democrat United States Senator and a former United States Representative from Hawaii. He was elected to the House of Representatives from the Second Congressional District of Hawaii in 1971, and was reelected in until 1988. Akaka was appointed to the U.S. Senate to fill the seat left empty by the death of former United States Senator Spark M. Matsunaga. In April 2006, he was selected by Time Magazine 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." During his 2006 Senate reelection campaign, Akaka faced a primary challenge by Congressman Ed Case. Akaka won the Democratic primary by eight percentage points and went on to win the general election by twenty-six points.
Committee Membership
As of 2007, 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.