Schatz, Brian, 1972-

Brian Emanuel Schatz (born October 20, 1972) is an American educator and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he has served as U.S. Senator from Hawai‘i since 2012.

Born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, he moved with his family to Honolulu, Hawai‘i at the age of two. After graduating from Punahou School there, he earned a B.A. from Pomona College. After graduating in 1994 with a B.A. in philosophy, he returned to Hawai‘i, where he taught at Punahou before taking on other jobs in the nonprofit sector. Schatz became active in the community in the 1980s through his involvement in Youth for Environmental Services. He then served as CEO of Helping Hands Hawai‘i and director of the Makiki Community Library and of the Center for a Sustainable Future. In March 2010, Schatz stepped down from Helping Hands to run for lieutenant governor. He was a member of the 2007 class of the Pacific Century Fellows.

In 1998, Schatz challenged Republican Sam Aiona for his 24th district seat in the Hawai‘i House of Representatives, winning by six points. He would be re-elected three times, once from the 24th district and twice in the redrawn 25th district. In 2006, Schatz ran for Hawai‘i's 2nd congressional district, finishing sixth. In April 2008, Schatz began running for the position of chairman of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i, and won the job at the state convention the following month. During his tenure, the Democrats increased the number of active party members and delivered Obama's best performance of any state in the country. On January 10, 2010, Schatz announced his candidacy for lieutenant governor of Hawai‘i and was elected with Neil Abercrombie that November. In December 2012, Schatz was appointed U.S. Senator by Governor Abercrombie following the death of Senator Daniel Inouye.

Since joining the Senate, Schatz has focused his work on helping workers, veterans, and families and has led key legislation on health care, climate change, and technology. He chairs the Indian Affairs Committee, and serves on the Appropriations Committee; the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee; the Foreign Relations Committee; and the Select Committee on Ethics. He also serves on the Senate Democratic Caucus's leadership team as Chief Deputy Whip.