Neil Abercrombie

Neil Abercrombie
7th Governor of Hawaii
Incumbent
Assumed office December 6, 2010
Lieutenant	Brian Schatz (2010-12) Shan Tsutsui (2012-present)
Preceded by	Linda Lingle
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Hawaii's 1st district
In office January 3, 1991 – February 28, 2010
Preceded by	Pat Saiki
Succeeded by	Charles Djou
In office September 20, 1986 – January 3, 1987
Preceded by	Cecil Heftel
Succeeded by	Pat Saiki
Personal details
Born	(1938-06-26) June 26, 1938 Buffalo, New York, U.S.
Political party	Democratic Party
Spouse(s)	Nancie Caraway
Residence	Washington Place
Alma mater	Union College University of Hawaii, Manoa
Profession	Politician
Religion	Episcopalian

Neil Abercrombie (born June 26, 1938) is an American politician who has been Governor of Hawaii since December 2010 – Hawaii's seventh Governor. Previously he was the Democratic U.S. Representative of the First Congressional District of Hawaii, which comprises urban Honolulu. He served in Congress from 1986 to 1987 and from 1991 to 2010, when he resigned to successfully run for governor. He has also served as a state legislator and member of the Honolulu City Council.

Early life and education

Abercrombie was born in Buffalo, New York, the son of Vera June (née Grader) and George Donald Abercrombie. His ancestry includes English, Irish, and German. Upon graduating from Williamsville High School (now Williamsville South High School), he went on to pursue studies in sociology at Union College in Schenectady, New York. There, Abercrombie obtained his bachelor's degree in 1959. He arrived in Honolulu, Hawaii, a month after statehood in September 1959 to study at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa where he earned a master's degree in sociology and later a doctorate in American Studies. At the university he befriended and attended classes with the parents of President Barack Obama, Ann Dunham and Barack Obama, Sr.

Political career

Abercrombie first participated in a political campaign in 1970, seeking the Democratic nomination to the United States Senate. Unsuccessful, Abercrombie ran for the Hawaii State House of Representatives where he served from 1975 to 1979. A distinguishing symbol of Abercrombie's early campaigns was a yellow Checker Taxi with his name and face painted on the side, the use of which was motivated by a lack of money for traditional campaigning methods. The taxi became a symbol of both his standing as an outsider from the mainland and his unconventional style. He moved to the Hawaii State Senate, where he served from 1980 to 1986. After Representative Cecil Heftel resigned from the United States Congress in July 1986 to run for Governor of Hawaiʻi, Abercrombie was elected to the House in a September 1986 special election to complete Heftel's unexpired term. However, on the same day Abercrombie lost the Democratic primary for a full two-year term to Mufi Hannemann, who went on to lose to Republican Pat Saiki in the general election.

Abercrombie then set his sights on a seat of the Honolulu City Council. He won the race and served from 1988 to 1990.

U.S. Congress

At the end of his council tenure, Abercrombie once again ran for Congress and won in 1990, and was re-elected ten times. In the 2008 election, he won with 70.6% of the vote.

Neil Abercrombie was a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and compiled a generally liberal voting record. He supported and voted for the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act. On October 10, 2002, he was among the 133 members of the House who voted against authorizing the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He cosponsored H.R. 1312 (Assault Weapons Ban and Law Enforcement Protection Act of 2005) on July 28, 2005. He took issue with the Vatican over not listing torture as a sin.

According to Project Vote Smart, Abercrombie holds the following issue positions: he is pro-choice, has voted against a ban on partial birth abortion, and has voted with the interests of NARAL and Planned Parenthood 100% between 2000 and 2006. He has voted for bills designed to make it easier for Americans to vote, such as the motor voter bill. He has advocated strongly for civil liberties; his voting record is supported by both the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and American Library Association. He has also voted against a constitutional amendment proposed in 2006 to limit marriage to being between one man and one woman. Notably, he was one of only nine representatives not to cast a vote for or against the USA PATRIOT Act in 2001. In 2005, he voted against the extension of the act, calling it “a blank check to trample civil liberties." In 2007, he signed on as a co-sponsor of H.R. 676, which would have established a national health insurance program. He resigned from Congress on February 28, 2010, three weeks before the House vote on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590).

2010 gubernatorial campaign

See also: Hawaii gubernatorial election, 2010

Neil Abercrombie and his running mate Brian Schatz with their spouses on the day of the election

On Sunday, March 9, 2009, he announced his intention to run for Governor of Hawaii instead of running for an 11th term. On December 11, 2009 he announced that he would resign from Congress to concentrate on his gubernatorial bid. He was succeeded in Congress by Republican Charles Djou, the first Republican elected to Congress from Hawaii since Congresswoman Pat Saiki.

Abercrombie defeated his challenger, former Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann, in the 2010 Democratic gubernatorial primary election on September 18, 2010, 59.3 percent to 37.7 percent.

On November 2, 2010, Neil Abercrombie defeated his Republican opponent James Aiona by a margin of 57.8% to 40.8% to become Hawaii's 7th governor. On November 3, 2010, during his victory speech, Governor-elect Abercrombie credited numerous individuals with his success, including the founder of the Department of Religion at the University of Hawaii Manoa, Dr. Mitsuo Aoki.

Governor of Hawaii

Neil Abercrombie sworn in as Governor of Hawaii

Abercrombie was sworn in as Governor of Hawaii on December 6, 2010, the first gubernatorial victor of the 2010 election cycle to be sworn into office. He succeeded Republican Governor Linda Lingle. He will be up for re-election as Governor in 2014.

Abercrombie was 72 when he was sworn in as governor, and was the oldest current United States governor for a little less than a month. On January 3, 2011, he lost that title to Jerry Brown of California, who is two months older than Abercrombie.

When Abercrombie took office, he vowed to end the investigations into President Barack Obama’s birth certificate. A spokesperson for Abercrombie said he would ask the office of the Attorney General what they can do. State Attorney General David M. Louie informed Abercrombie that state privacy laws prevent the release of "an individual's birth documentation without the person's consent" to persons who do not have "a tangible interest".

In February 2011 Abercrombie signed into law a bill legalizing civil unions. His predecessor, Linda Lingle, had previously vetoed the legislation. According to one poll his approval rating dropped steadily during his first year in office.

Upon the death of longtime Senator Daniel Inouye Abercrombie was given the final task of appointing a replacement. The State Democratic Party gave him a list of three finalist from fourteen original applicants. He chose his personal friend and running mate Lieutenant Governor Brian Schatz over Congresswoman Colleen Hanabusa, the expressed preferred choice of Senator Inouye, and Esther Kia'aina, the deputy director of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Personal life

In 1981, Abercrombie married Nancie Caraway, who is a political scientist and feminist writer at the University of Hawaii-Manoa's Globalization Research Center.

Abercrombie is an avid weightlifter and has a stated goal of lifting 200 lbs more than his age on each birthday. On his 72nd birthday, he bench pressed 272 lbs.

In 2006 Abercrombie was named "Scot of the Year" by the Caledonian Society of Hawaii.

Abercrombie currently resides in the Manoa Valley area of Honolulu, Hawaii.^{[citation needed]}

External links

• State of Hawaiʻi Office of the Governor official state website
• Neil Abercrombie For Governor official campaign site
• Biography at the National Governors Association
• Biography, interest group ratings, public statements, vetoes and campaign finances at Project Vote Smart
• Issue positions and quotes at On the Issues
• Campaign contributions at FollowTheMoney.org
• Appearances on C-SPAN programs
• Appearances at the Internet Movie Database
• Profile at Notable Names Database
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Congressional profile at GovTrack
• Congressional profile at OpenCongress
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Financial information (federal office) at OpenSecrets.org
• Staff salaries, trips and personal finance (federal office) at LegiStorm.com
• Voting record at The Washington Post

United States House of Representatives
Preceded by Cecil Heftel	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Hawaii's 1st congressional district September 20, 1986 – January 3, 1987	Succeeded by Pat Saiki
Preceded by Pat Saiki	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Hawaii's 1st congressional district January 3, 1991 – February 28, 2010	Succeeded by Charles Djou
Political offices
Preceded by Linda Lingle	Governor of Hawaii December 6, 2010 – present	Incumbent
United States order of precedence
Preceded by Joe Biden as Vice President	Order of Precedence of the United States Within Hawaii	Succeeded by Mayor of city in which event is held
		Succeeded by Otherwise John Boehner as Speaker of the House of Representatives
Preceded by Sean Parnell as Governor of Alaska	Order of Precedence of the United States Outside Hawaii	Succeeded by Acting heads of executive departments
		Succeeded by Otherwise Walter Mondale as Former Vice President