Hanabusa, Colleen, 1951-

Colleen Wakako Hanabusa (born May 4, 1951) is an American lawyer and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, she served as the U.S. Representative for Hawaii's 1st congressional district from 2011 to 2015 and again from 2016 to 2019.

Born in Waiʻanae, Hawaii, she graduated from Honolulu’s St. Andrew’s Priory School in 1969 before attending the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa where she earned degrees in economics and sociology in 1973, a master’s degree in sociology in 1975, and a law degree in 1977. Hanabusa spent 20 years as an attorney in private practice, and her career as a labor lawyer led to a successful campaign for the state senate in 1998. During her 12 years in state government, Hanabusa focused on education and health care issues, and pushed for civil service reforms. In 2007 Hanabusa became the first woman to lead either of Hawaii’s legislative chambers when she was elected president of the senate. During her tenure as senate president, which lasted until 2010, she endeavored to rectify budget woes by instituting new taxes. She also used her influence to improve Hawaii’s special-education programs and set up charter schools for children in need.

After falling short in her attempt to win a U.S. House seat three times, Hanabusa narrowly defeated Republican Charles Djou in the 2010 general election. In the House, Hanabusa was assigned to the Armed Services and Natural Resources Committees. Both panels dealt with issues important to her district which included a large military presence and multiple national parks. Operating in the minority party, Hanabusa also focused on labor and infrastructure issues. She worked alongside Senator Daniel Ken Inouye in the 112th Congress to direct grants to Hawaii’s veterans and pursue relief for Filipino veterans of World War II and their families. Hanabusa also worked alongside Hawaii Senator Daniel Kahikina Akaka advocating for passage of the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Reauthorization Act (NAHASDA) of 2014, which provided block grants through a partnership between tribal governments and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

In 2014 Hanabusa challenged incumbent Brian Schatz in the Democratic primary for a seat in the Senate rather than run for re-election to the House. During the campaign, her critics tried to argue that at age 62, she should make way for a younger candidate who might enjoy a long run of service much like Inouye. In the August primary, Hanabusa lost to Schatz, who had picked up several prominent endorsements, by only 1,769 votes. After the election, Hanabusa focused on passing NAHASDA. Although the bill passed by voice vote in the House, it never made it out of committee in the Senate. At the end of her term, Hanabusa returned to Honolulu and resumed practicing law.

In 2016, Hanabusa announced her intention to run in the 1st congressional district special election to fill the remaining term of Representative Mark Takai, who died in July 2016; she won the Democratic primary for the race on August 13. Hanabusa also won the election on November 8, 2016, and was sworn in on November 14. Although Democrats remained in the minority during her second stint in the House, Hanabusa did have a notable legislative success: her bill to provide for a new display to honor Pacific Theater veterans at the Pearl Harbor monument in Honolulu became law in May 2018. In 2017, Hanabusa announced her decision to run for the governorship of Hawaii in 2018 rather than reelection to the U.S. House of Representatives. She lost to incumbent Democratic Governor David Ige in the primary, and Ige was subsequently reelected to a second term. In February 2020, Hanabusa announced her campaign for Mayor of Honolulu in 2020. She placed third in the nonpartisan blanket primary.