Daniel Akaka
Daniel Kahikina Akaka (b. September 11, 1924) was a Democratic member of the U.S. Senate from the state of Hawaii. Akaka was first elected to the Senate in 1990. He passed away on April 5, 2018.[1]
Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Akaka was a "rank-and-file Democrat."[2]
Akaka did not seek re-election in 2012. Four candidates ran in the August 11, 2012 primary.[3]
Biography
Born in Honolulu, he served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during World War II. He attended the University of Hawaii, where he received his bachelor's and master's degrees.[4] He was first elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1976 to represent Hawaii's Second Congressional District, and he served for 13 years. In 1990 he was appointed to the U.S. Senate to succeed the deceased Spark Matsunaga. Akaka would later be re-elected to three full terms. In March 2011 he announced that he would not run for re-election in 2012.[5]
Career
- 1943-1945: Army Corps of Engineers
- 1945-1947: U.S. Army Active Duty
- 1953-1960: High School Teacher
- 1960-1969: Vice-Principal and Head Principal
- 1976-1990: U.S. House of Representatives
- 1990-2013: U.S. Senate
Akaka also served as a welder and mechanic while serving as a First-Mate on the Morningstar and in various government positions including Hawaii Office of Economic Opportunity, Office of Governor George Ariyoshi, and Director of Progressive Neighborhood Program.
Committee assignments
U.S. Senate
2011-2012
- United States Senate Committee on Armed Services[4]
- Subcommittee on Personnel
- Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support
- Subcommittee on SeaPower
- United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs[4]
- Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development
- Subcommittee on Financial Institutions
- Subcommittee on Securities, Insurance, and Investment
- United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs[4]
- Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information and International Security
- Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce and the District of Columbia (Chairman)
- Ad Hoc Subcommittee on State, Local, and Private Sector Preparedness and Integration
- United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs (Chairman)[4]
- United States Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs[4]
- United States Senate Congressional Task Force on Native Hawaiian Issues (Chairman)[4]
Issues
Fiscal Cliff
Akaka voted for the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003 while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. The bill was passed in the Senate by an 89 - 8 vote on January 1, 2013.[6]
Elections
2012
Akaka did not run for re-election in 2012.[7] Mazie K. Hirono defeated Linda Lingle (R), James Brewer, Jr. (G), Heath Beasley (I), and Paul Manner in the general election.
2006
On November 7, 2006, Akaka won re-election to the United States Senate. He defeated Cynthia Thielen (R) and Lloyd Jeffrey Mallan (L) in the general election.[8]
| U.S. Senate, Hawaii General Election, 2006 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Daniel K. Akaka Incumbent |
61.3% | 210,330 | |
| Republican | Cynthia Thielen | 36.8% | 126,097 | |
| Libertarian | Lloyd Jeffrey Mallan | 1.9% | 6,415 | |
| Total Votes | 342,842 | |||
Campaign finance summary
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Analysis
Congressional staff salaries
The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Akaka paid his congressional staff a total of $1,983,238 in 2011. He ranks 3rd on the list of the lowest paid Democratic senatorial staff salaries and ranks 15th overall of the lowest paid senatorial staff salaries in 2011. Overall, Hawaii ranks 10th in average salary for senatorial staff. The average U.S. Senate congressional staff was paid $2,529,141.70 in fiscal year 2011.[9]
Net worth
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Akaka's net worth as of 2010 was estimated between $619,008 and $1,362,000. That averages to $990,504, which is lower than the average net worth of Republican senators in 2010 of $19,383,524.[10]
National Journal vote ratings
2011
- See also: National Journal vote ratings
Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of Congress voted in the previous year. Akaka ranked 3rd in the liberal rankings among U.S. senators.[11]
Voting with party
Daniel Akaka voted with the Democratic Party 96 of the time, which ranked 13 among the 51 Senate Democratic members as of November 2011.[12]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term Daniel + Akaka + Hawaii + Senate
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Akaka and his wife Millie had four sons and a daughter, 15 grandchildren, and 11 great-grandchildren. Akaka resided in Honolulu, Hawaii.[4]
External links
- Social media:
- Biographies:
- Political profiles:
- Financial (federal level):
- Interest group ratings:
- Issue positions:
- Public statements:
- Voting record:
- Works by or about:
- Media appearances:
- Media coverage:
Footnotes
- ↑ Roll Call, "Daniel Akaka, Long-Serving Hawaii Senator, Dead at 93," April 6, 2018
- ↑ GovTrack, "Daniel Akaka," accessed March 3, 2012
- ↑ Roll Call, "Mazie Hirohino to Run for Open Senate Seat in Hawaii" accessed February 18, 2012
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 Daniel Kahikina Akaka, U.S. Senator for Hawaii, "Biography" accessed October 14, 2011
- ↑ Hawaii News, "The Right Time" accessed October 14, 2011
- ↑ U.S. Senate, "Roll Call Vote on the Fiscal Cliff," accessed January 4, 2013
- ↑ Huffington Post, "Daniel Akaka Retiring in 2012," March 2, 2011
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 2006"
- ↑ LegiStorm, "Daniel Akaka"
- ↑ OpenSecrets, "Akaka, (D-Hawaii), 2010"
- ↑ National Journal, "Searchable Vote Ratings Tables: Senate," accessed February 23, 2012
- ↑ OpenCongress, "Voting With Party," accessed July 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Spark Matsunaga |
U.S. Senate - Hawaii 1990–2013 |
Succeeded by Mazie Hirono |
