Cedric Asuega Gates | |
---|---|
Member of the Hawaii House of Representatives | |
In office November 8, 2016 –November 5, 2024 | |
Preceded by | Jo Jordan |
Succeeded by | Chris Muraoka |
Constituency | 44th District (2016–2022) 45th District (2022–Present) |
Personal details | |
Born | Cedric Solosolo Asuega Gates |
Political party | Democratic |
Other political affiliations | Green (2014) |
Cedric Solosolo Asuega Gates [1] is a politician who served as a member Hawaii House of Representatives for the 45th district from 2022 to 2024,previously representing the 44th district from 2016 to 2022,as a member of the Democratic Party.
Gates is of African-American and American Samoan descent. [2] [1] His mother,Easter Asuega Gates,died in 2006,and his father,William Gates,died in 2014. [1] According to members of his family,he is the great-grandson of Solosolo Mauga Asuega,who was High Chief of Pago Pago. [1]
Gates attended Waianae High School, [3] and later enrolled at Leeward Community College. In 2013,he was honored by Governor Neil Abercrombie as an Outstanding Advocate for Children and Youth. [4]
In 2014,Gates ran as a Green Party candidate in District 44,losing to Jo Jordan. In 2016,Gates ran against Jordan,this time in the Democratic primary. Gates' 2016 candidacy was controversial,as his 2014 candidacy as a Green Party candidate was supposed to have barred his nomination as a Democrat under Democratic Party of Hawaii rules. [5]
Nevertheless,Gates defeated incumbent Jo Jordan in the District 44 Democratic primary,and went on to defeat Marc Pa'aluhi in the general election. [6] During the 2016 campaign,his campaign posters were vandalized with a racial slur. [7] Upon taking office at age 23,he became the youngest member of the state legislature. [1] After completing his first term in office,Gates was reelected in 2018 and 2020.
In 2024,Gates ran for District 44 in the Hawaii State Senate and was defeated 44.3% to 53.1% by Samantha DeCorte. [8]