Lorraine Inouye

Hawaiʻi State Senator Lorraine R. Inouye represents Senate District 1 on Hawaiʻi Island (Hilo, Paukaʻa, Papaikou and Pepeʻekeo). She is in Senate Leadership and serves as Senate Vice President and the Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee (TRS) and Vice Chair of the Senate Water, Land, Culture and Arts Committee (WLA). She is also a member of the Senate Committees on Ways and Means (WAM) and Public Safety and Military Affairs (PSM). Her public service career spans over five decades, for which she has been a strong advocate for her constituents. Her long career of elected public service started on the Hawai‘i County Council in 1984 and then as Mayor of Hawai‘i County from 1990 to 1992. She was first elected to the Hawai‘i State Senate in 1998 representing the Hilo district. In 2008 she made an unsuccessful bid to become mayor of Hawai‘i County again, having been defeated by a then popular newcomer. After being out of elected office for four years, Senator Inouye ran for the Hawaiʻi State Senate District 4 seat in 2014 won re-election. This time she represented a large district that included North Hilo, Hāmākua, Kohala, Waikoloa and a fringe of North Kona. After reapportionment in 2020, Senator Inouye’s residency changed to District 1 that included her lifetime home area of Hilo, Hawai‘i. She won re-election in 2022 and 2024 and is the current senator for District 1. Senator Inouye’s journey, originated from humble beginnings in a sugar plantation camp in Wainaku that shaped her values, instilled a strong work ethic, and embraced a deep connection to the land and its p

Hawaiʻi State Senator Lorraine R. Inouye represents Senate District 1 on Hawaiʻi Island (Hilo, Paukaʻa, Papaikou and Pepeʻekeo). She is in Senate Leadership and serves as Senate Vice President and the Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee (TRS) and Vice Chair of the Senate Water, Land, Culture and Arts Committee (WLA). She is also a member of the Senate Committees on Ways and Means (WAM) and Public Safety and Military Affairs (PSM). Her public service career spans over five decades, for which she has been a strong advocate for her constituents. Her long career of elected public service started on the Hawai‘i County Council in 1984 and then as Mayor of Hawai‘i County from 1990 to 1992. She was first elected to the Hawai‘i State Senate in 1998 representing the Hilo district. In 2008 she made an unsuccessful bid to become mayor of Hawai‘i County again, having been defeated by a then popular newcomer. After being out of elected office for four years, Senator Inouye ran for the Hawaiʻi State Senate District 4 seat in 2014 won re-election. This time she represented a large district that included North Hilo, Hāmākua, Kohala, Waikoloa and a fringe of North Kona. After reapportionment in 2020, Senator Inouye’s residency changed to District 1 that included her lifetime home area of Hilo, Hawai‘i. She won re-election in 2022 and 2024 and is the current senator for District 1. Senator Inouye’s journey, originated from humble beginnings in a sugar plantation camp in Wainaku that shaped her values, instilled a strong work ethic, and embraced a deep connection to the land and its p