Mazie Keiko Hirono is an American lawyer and politician serving since 2013 as the junior United States senator from Hawaii. A member of the Democratic Party, Hirono previously served as a member of the United States House of Representatives for Hawaii's 2nd congressional district from 2007 to 2013. She has been the dean of Hawaii's congressional delegation since 2013, when Senator Daniel Akaka retired. Hirono also served as a member of the Hawaii House of Representatives from 1981 to 1994 and as Hawaii's tenth lieutenant governor from 1994 to 2002. She was the Democratic nominee for governor of Hawaii in 2002, but lost to Republican Linda Lingle. Hirono is the first elected female senator from Hawaii, the first Asian-American woman elected to the Senate, the first U.S. senator born in Japan, and the nation's first Buddhist senator although she considers herself a non-practicing Buddhist. She is often cited with Hank Johnson as the first Buddhist to serve in the United States Congress. She is also the third woman to be elected to Congress from Hawaii (after Patsy Mink and Pat Saiki). In 2012, Hirono was the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Akaka. Hirono won the election, defeating Lingle in a landslide, 63% to 37%. She was sworn in on January 3, 2013, by Vice President Joe Biden. Hirono was the only person of Asian ancestry serving in the U.S. Senate from 2013 until 2017, when senators Tammy Duckworth and Kamala Harris were sworn in, representing Illinois and California, respectively. Hirono is Hawaii's junior senator, and Brian Schatz is its senior senator. She was reelected to the Senate in 2018 and won a third term against Republican nominee Bob McDermott in 2024.