Fmr. Hawaii State Senator Jill Tokuda Rumored To Run For Congress

Fmr. HI State Senator Jill Tokuda. Photo courtesy Tokuda for Hawaii website

Former Hawaii State Senator Jill Tokuda is rumored to be pivoting from her race for Lieutenant Governor to run for the Hawaii Congressional District 2 currently held by Kai Kahele who is expected to announce a run for governor in early May. CD2 includes the the North Shore and Windward side of Oahu.

With high positive name recognition and a short window of time for competitors to put together a campaign, Tokuda is well positioned to enter as the frontrunner.

For the past 7 years, Jill has run her own consulting business that provides strategic planning and communications, government relations, and program development support to some of Hawaii’s most established foundations, nonprofit organizations, and businesses.

Jill is currently the Co-Director of CyberHawaii, an affiliate of CyberUSA committed to outreach, resource sharing, and industry support and education, and serves as a member of the Cyber Readiness Institute’s Small Business Advisory Council, which brings together industry leaders nationally and globally to focus on providing support for small and medium-sized entities.

She is also the External Affairs Director for the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center, focused on securing public and private support for the organization’s operations, and leading efforts to fund and complete the expansion of their existing facility on Maui.

Jill serves on the Board of the Hawaii Data Collaborative and is an Advisory Board Member of the Hawaii Budget and Policy Center. A founding member and organizer of the Patsy T. Mink Political Action Committee in 2004, Jill has continued to support the PAC’s mission of supporting pro-choice Democratic women running for office in Hawaii.

In 2018, Jill ran in the Democratic Primary for Lieutenant Governor and garnered over 68,000 votes statewide, handily winning Oahu and coming in as one of the top candidates on every neighbor island. Prior to that she served in the Hawaii State Senate for 12 years, from 2006-2018, representing Kaneohe and Kailua. During her tenure she chaired the Ways and Means Committee, where she was ultimately responsible for balancing the state’s $14 billion state budget and negotiating and determining approval of all fiscal measures before the legislature. She also chaired the Labor, Education, Higher Education, and Agriculture and Hawaiian Affairs committees and served as Majority Whip.

While representing the 24th Senatorial District, Jill authored and passed over a hundred bills and resolutions and brought home over $360 million in capital improvement project funds to support important infrastructure such as schools, health facilities, roadways, and correctional facilities.

Jill has been recognized by various local and national organizations for her efforts. A few include the 2017 Healthcare Association of Hawaii Achievement in Advocacy Award, the 2017 AARP Capitol Caregiver Award, the 2017 Hawaii Farm Bureau Legislator of the Year Award, the 205 Joint Venture Education Forum Outstanding Contributor Award, the 2014 National Alliance of Public Charter Schools Champion for Charters Award, and the 2014 Kiwanis of Kaneohe Distinguished Service Award.

Jill is an active community volunteer, including helping Lanakila Meals on Wheels with their Thanksgiving and Christmas deliveries for over 20 years. When the pandemic hit and their volunteers decreased, she stepped in picking up weekly regular routes since March 2020.

She is a proud graduate of James B. Castle High School and received her Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and a minor in Japanese Studies from the George Washington University.