Charles Djou

Last updated

In March 2008, Djou announced well ahead of time that he would run for U.S. Congress in the 2010 cycle, seeking Hawaii's 1st congressional district seat. [19] The seat became vacant on February 28, 2010, when incumbent Neil Abercrombie resigned to run for Governor of Hawaii. [20] Abercrombie's resignation precipitated a special election on May 22, 2010, which Djou entered. Djou was endorsed by former Massachusetts Governor and Presidential candidate Mitt Romney. [21] Djou subsequently endorsed Romney for president in the summer of 2011. [22] Former Hawaii Congresswoman Patricia Saiki, a Republican for whom Djou had once volunteered as a teenager, was Djou's campaign chair.

In the special election, Djou received 39.4 percent of the vote. He defeated five Democrats, four Republicans, and four independent candidates. [23] [24] Among the candidates Djou defeated were former Congressman Ed Case and State Senator Colleen Hanabusa, two Democrats who together polled over 58% of the vote. [25] Djou was sworn in three days later and was in office for the remainder of Abercrombie's 2008 term. He was the first Republican to represent the district in 20 years. [26] He followed Abercrombie and Patsy Mink as the third person to have been in the Honolulu City Council, Hawaii State Legislature and U.S. Congress, and was the first to be elected to all three chambers before age 40.

2010 general

Djou ran for a full term in November 2010. [25] There was some controversy over the use of robocalling by the Congressman's official U.S. House office, both before the election and afterward, [27] [28] [29] [30] but as with all official mass communication between members of the House and their constituents, the phone survey conducted on behalf of Djou's office was approved by the bipartisan Franking Commission as an appropriate use of official resources for the purpose of communicating with constituents. [30]

Djou was defeated by the Democratic nominee, State Senate President Colleen Hanabusa, 53% to 47%. [2] Djou was one of only two Republican incumbents to lose a general election in 2010, along with Joseph Cao in Louisiana. [31]

2012

Djou serving with the 10th Mountain Division in Kandahar, Afghanistan in 2011 MAJ Djou.jpg
Djou serving with the 10th Mountain Division in Kandahar, Afghanistan in 2011

Djou announced on August 17, 2011, that he would challenge Hanabusa in the 1st district in 2012. A major in the U.S. Army Reserve, Djou suspended his campaign for six months while deployed to Afghanistan with the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, from September 2011 [32] to March 2012. [33] Djou lost to Hanabusa in the general election, [34] with 45.4% of the vote. [35]

2014

Djou ran for the 1st district again in 2014. [36] Although he garnered a greater percentage of the vote in a general election than any other Republican running for Congress in Hawaii since 1988, he still narrowly lost to Democratic state representative Mark Takai, who received 51.2% of the vote. [37]

Committee assignments

Tenure

Civil unions and gay marriage

Djou opposed Hawaii House Bill 444, a bill to legalize civil unions for same-sex and opposite-sex couples, and supports the federal Defense of Marriage Act. He stated that lawmakers "ignored the will of the people" who enacted Hawaii Constitutional Amendment 2. [38]

Don't ask, don't tell

Djou was one of a handful of Congressional Republicans who voted in favor of an amendment to the 2011 Department of Defense Authorization Bill that would repeal the "Don't ask, don't tell" law and allow gays to serve in the U.S. military. [39]

Immigration

Djou supported comprehensive immigration reform and was one of eight Republicans who voted for the DREAM Act to allow immigrants brought to the U.S. as children earn citizenship through service in the military or obtaining a college education and a job. [40]

South Korean Free Trade Agreement

On May 28, 2010, Djou spoke on the floor of the House in support of approving the South Korean Free Trade Agreement, which was signed by former president George W. Bush on June 30, 2007. [41] Congress approved the agreement on October 11, 2011. [42]

Candidate for Mayor of Honolulu

Djou announced on June 7, 2016 that he was running for the nonpartisan office of Mayor of Honolulu against incumbent Mayor Kirk Caldwell, former Mayor Peter Carlisle, and at least ten others. In the nonpartisan race, Djou had already received the endorsement of former governor Ben Cayetano, an anti-rail Democrat. [43] On June 15, Djou announced that retired Federal Judge and former Chair of the Democratic Party of Hawaii, Walter Heen, would chair Djou's campaign, and City Council member Ann Kobayashi, also a Democrat, supported Djou for mayor. [44] With no candidate receiving more than 50% of the vote on August 13, 2016, a decision between the top two candidates, Djou and Caldwell, would be made in the November 8, 2016 election. [45]

Caldwell defeated Djou, 52% to 48%. [46] Though both candidates supported the municipal rail project, its cost overruns were an issue, as well as Caldwell's alleged interference with the Ethics Commission. Labor group support was split between the pair. [47]

Later career

Djou served as the Hawaii state campaign chair of John Kasich's 2016 presidential campaign and urged voters before the 2016 Hawaii caucuses to reject Donald Trump. [48] In 2018, Djou left the Republican Party, citing concerns with its policies and President Trump's character. [49] In October 2019, Djou said, "It would be fair to say that I'm an independent Democratic[ sic ]". [50] On July 9, 2020, Republican Voters Against Trump released a video in which Djou urged voters to vote against Trump. [4]

Djou is a member of the ReFormers Caucus of Issue One. [51]

On March 9, 2020, Djou published an op-ed article in Honolulu Civil Beat announcing that he would not enter the 2020 Honolulu mayoral election, though he has accused Honolulu politicians of incompetence in handling important issues. [52] Djou wrote, "while it is clear to all that Honolulu is in desperate need of dramatic change and real leadership, I have come to the difficult decision that I am not the best person to lead this charge in the 2020 election." He said he might endorse a candidate but had not yet made a decision.

In addition to his decision not to run for mayor of Honolulu, Djou announced he was selected to serve in the United States Army War College to complete a graduate degree in Strategic Studies. With his decision to set politics aside, Djou wrote, "completing War College will better position me to assume more significant future roles and duties in service to our country. And unfortunately, running for public office this fall would conflict with this military assignment." [53]

In 2020 Djou endorsed Democrat Joe Biden for President, as did 26 other former Republican members of Congress. [54]

In May 2022, President Biden appointed Djou to be secretary of the American Battle Monuments Commission. [5]

Personal life

Charles Djou and family in 2008 Charles Djou with his family.jpg
Charles Djou and family in 2008

Djou is married to Stacey Kawasaki Djou, a Japanese American. They have three children. His surname is a French transliteration of the Chinese surname Zhou. [55]

Djou was on the board of directors of the American Lung Association and a member of the Neighborhood Board. He is a member of the Young Business Roundtable, the Rotary Club, and the Hawaii Telecommunications Association. [55]

Since 2010, Djou has contributed op-ed articles as a writer for Honolulu Civil Beat, a local nonprofit journalism website. [56]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neil Abercrombie</span> American politician (born 1938)

Neil Abercrombie is an American politician who served as the seventh governor of Hawaii from 2010 to 2014. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ed Case</span> American lawyer & politician (born 1952)

Edward Espenett Case is an American lawyer and Democratic politician. Since 2019, he has served as the U.S. representative for Hawaii's 1st congressional district, which covers the urban core of Honolulu. He represented the 2nd district, which covers the rest of the state, from 2002 to 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawaii Republican Party</span> Hawaii state party of the Republican Party

The Hawaii Republican Party is the affiliate of the Republican Party (GOP) in Hawaii, headquartered in Honolulu. The party was strong during Hawaii's territorial days, but following the Hawaii Democratic Revolution of 1954 the Democratic Party came to dominate Hawaii. The party currently has little power and is the weakest state affiliate of the national Republican Party; it controls none of Hawaii's statewide or federal elected offices and has the least presence in the state legislature of any state Republican party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Schatz</span> American educator and politician (born 1972)

Brian Emanuel Schatz is an American educator and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Hawaii, a seat he has held since 2012. A member of the Democratic Party, Schatz served in the Hawaii House of Representatives from 1998 to 2006, representing the 25th legislative district; as the chairman of the Democratic Party of Hawaii from 2008 to 2010; and as the 12th lieutenant governor of Hawaii from 2010 to 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colleen Hanabusa</span> American politician (born 1951)

Colleen Wakako Hanabusa is an American lawyer and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Hawaii's 1st congressional district from 2011 to 2015 and again from 2016 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she ran for her party's nomination for governor of Hawaii in 2018, challenging and losing to incumbent and fellow Democrat David Ige.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Hawaii</span>

The 2010 congressional elections in Hawaii was held on November 2, 2010, to determine who was to represent the state of Hawaii in the United States House of Representatives for the 112th Congress from January 2011, until their terms of office expire in January 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kirk Caldwell</span> American politician

Kirk William Caldwell is an American politician who served as the mayor of Honolulu, Hawaii, from 2013 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, Caldwell also held the position of acting mayor in 2010 following the resignation of Mayor Mufi Hannemann. Caldwell announced that he would be running for the Democratic nomination in the 2022 Hawaii gubernatorial election in September 2021, but withdrew the following May.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 Hawaii's 1st congressional district special election</span>

The 2010 special election for the 1st congressional district of Hawaii was a special election to the United States House of Representatives that took place to fill the vacancy caused by Representative Neil Abercrombie's resignation on February 28, 2010 to focus on his campaign for Governor of Hawaii in the 2010 gubernatorial election. Abercrombie planned not to run for re-election in 2010, and many of the candidates that were running for his open seat transferred to the special election. The election was held on May 22, 2010 and Republican Charles Djou won, defeating five Democrats, four fellow Republicans, and four Independent candidates. The main reason for his win was because there were two Democratic candidates instead of one, which split the votes, allowing Djou to win, as Hawaii is an overwhelmingly Democratic state. Djou became the first Republican elected to Congress from Hawaii since Pat Saiki in 1988; Djou volunteered on Saiki's 1988 campaign, and Saiki served as Djou's campaign chair in 2010. As of 2022, this was the last time in which a Republican was elected to Congress from Hawaii.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 United States Senate election in Hawaii</span>

The 2012 United States Senate election in Hawaii took place on November 6, 2012, concurrently with the 2012 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States Senate and House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Democratic senator Daniel Akaka decided to retire instead of seeking a fourth full term. Democrat Mazie Hirono defeated Republican Linda Lingle in a rematch of Hawaii’s 2002 gubernatorial election. This was the first open Senate seat in the state of Hawaii since 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Hawaii</span>

The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Hawaii were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012 to elect the two U.S. representatives from the state, one from each of the state's two congressional districts. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including a quadrennial presidential election and an election for the United States Senate. Primary elections were held on August 11, 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Hawaii elections</span>

Hawaii's 2012 general elections were held on November 6, 2012. Primary elections were held on August 11, 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Hawaii gubernatorial election</span> Election for the governorship of the U.S. state of Hawaii

The 2014 Hawaii gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 2014, to elect the Governor of Hawaii, concurrently with a special election to Hawaii's Class III Senate Seat, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 United States Senate election in Hawaii</span>

The 2016 United States Senate election in Hawaii was held November 8, 2016, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election as well as other elections to the United States Senate and House of Representatives and various state and local elections. The primaries were held August 13. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Brian Schatz won reelection to his first full term in office, defeating Republican former state legislator John Carroll.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 United States Senate special election in Hawaii</span>

The 2014 United States Senate special election in Hawaii took place on November 4, 2014, the general Election Day in the United States, concurrently with other elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Hawaii</span>

The 2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Hawaii were held on Tuesday, November 4, 2014 to elect the two U.S. representatives from the state of Hawaii, one from each of the state's two congressional districts. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including an election for Governor of Hawaii and a special election to the United States Senate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Honolulu mayoral election</span> Election for mayor of Honolulu

The 2016 Honolulu mayoral election determined the Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu for the full term commencing in January 2017. As in the previous several elections, Skyline and its cost overruns was a major topic of the campaign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Hawaii's 1st congressional district special election</span>

U.S. Representative Mark Takai, who represented Hawaii's 1st congressional district, died July 20, 2016. A special election was held November 8, 2016. In special elections in Hawaii, all candidates run on one ballot with the highest vote recipient winning regardless of percentage. This is what allowed Charles Djou, a Republican, to win the 2010 special election for this district with 39.4% of the vote when two Democrats took 58.4% of the vote combined. However this special election is held concurrently with the 2016 general election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Hawaii gubernatorial election</span> Election for the governorship of the U.S. state of Hawaii

The 2022 Hawaii gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 2022, to elect the next governor of Hawaii. Incumbent Democratic Governor David Ige was term-limited and ineligible to run for a third term. Incumbent lieutenant governor Josh Green was the Democratic nominee, and faced former lieutenant governor Duke Aiona, the Republican nominee. This marked the third time Aiona had been the Republican gubernatorial nominee, having previously run unsuccessfully in 2010 and 2014. Green won the election with 63.2% of the vote with Aiona receiving 36.8% of the vote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Honolulu mayoral election</span> Election for mayor of Honolulu

The 2020 Honolulu mayoral election determined the Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu for the term commencing in January 2021. Incumbent mayor Kirk Caldwell is ineligible to run for a third term due to term limits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Hawaii</span>

The 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Hawaii were held on November 8, 2022, to elect the two U.S. representatives from the state of Hawaii, one from each of the state's two congressional districts. The elections coincided with other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections.

References

  1. ↑ U.S. Rep. District 1 Special Vacancy Election – State of Hawaii – Statewide May 22, 2010. Accessed May 22, 2010
  2. 1 2 Goodin, Emily (November 3, 2010). "Dems pick up Hawaii seat". The Hill .
  3. ↑ Staff (March 19, 2018). "Djou abandons Republican Party because of Trump". Honolulu Star-Advertiser . Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  4. 1 2 Djou, Charles (2020), GOP Rep. Charles Djou: Trump is Ignorant of Honor and True Sacrifice, Republican Voters Against Trump, retrieved September 25, 2020
  5. 1 2 "Charles K. Djou". American Battle Monuments Commission. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
  6. ↑ Nakaso, Dan (May 26, 2010). "Djou welcomed in Congress". Honolulu Advertiser. Retrieved July 9, 2018. son of immigrant parents from Shanghai and Bangkok
  7. ↑ Hawaii Republicans are pinning big hopes on a Djou victory
  8. ↑ "About Charles Djou". Team Djou. Archived from the original on June 23, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Elections". Hawaii.gov. Retrieved August 23, 2010.
  10. ↑ 1998 General Elections Precinct Report (Report). Hawaii.gov. November 3, 1998. Retrieved August 23, 2010.
  11. ↑ Hill, Tiffany (November 8, 2012). "The Outdoor Circle Celebrates 100 Years Beautifying Honolulu". Honolulu . Retrieved July 9, 2018.
  12. ↑ Kua, Crystal. Outdoor Circle says candidate broke yard-sign pledge. Honolulu Star-Bulletin (October 31, 2000)
  13. ↑ Hawaii 2000 election results, race between Djou and Catalani
  14. ↑ Daranciang, Nelson (April 11, 2002). "Shutdown of van cams may cost $8 million". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
    Dubford, Bruce (April 9, 2002). "Hawaii Halts Use of Traffic Cameras". Midland Daily News. Michigan. Associated Press. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
  15. ↑ Pang, Gordon Y. K. Exodus enlivens Council races. Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
  16. ↑ "Open Primary Election 2002 (results)" (PDF). Election Results. Honolulu, HI: Office of Elections, State of Hawaii. September 28, 2002. p. 6. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 18, 2012. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
  17. ↑ "General Election 2002 – STATE OF HAWAII – STATEWIDE" (PDF). Retrieved August 23, 2010.
  18. ↑ Boyland, Peter (March 22, 2008). "Charles Djou to run for Congress in 2010". The Honolulu Advertiser.
  19. ↑ "Djou to run for Congress in 2010". Honolulu Advertiser . March 22, 2008. Archived from the original on May 2, 2008. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
  20. ↑ "Special mail election to fill Abercrombie seat is May 22". Honolulu Advertiser . March 3, 2010. Archived from the original on April 19, 2012. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
  21. ↑ "Romney wades into Hawaii special election, raises $1.5 million for PAC". The Washington Post . April 12, 2010.
  22. ↑ "Mitt Romney wins Charles Djou primary". Politico. August 30, 2010.
  23. ↑ State of Hawaii Office of Elections (February 24, 2010). "FACTSHEET 2010 SPECIAL ELECTION U.S. House of Representatives, District 1" (PDF). Retrieved March 15, 2010.
  24. ↑ U.S. Rep District I Special Vacancy Election – State of Hawaii – Statewide
  25. 1 2 "GOP's Djou wins Hawaii special election for Congress". The Honolulu Advertiser . May 22, 2010. Archived from the original on May 25, 2010. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
  26. ↑ Sappenfield, Mark (May 23, 2010). "Charles Djou: How did a Republican win in Obama's Hawaii hometown?". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
  27. ↑ "Hawaii governor's 'robocall' urges vote for Djou". The Honolulu Advertiser . May 17, 2010. Retrieved June 16, 2010.
  28. ↑ "Lingle 'robocall' urges voters to choose Djou". Honolulu Star-Bulletin . May 17, 2010. Retrieved June 16, 2010.
  29. ↑ "Djou camp marshals radio, TV and phone". Honolulu Star-Bulletin . May 18, 2010. Retrieved June 16, 2010.
  30. 1 2 "Tax Dollars Paid For Djou's Robo-Calls". KITV. June 16, 2010. Retrieved June 16, 2010.
  31. ↑ "Who's gone: Incumbents who have lost". Politico. May 11, 2011. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
  32. ↑ "Djou announces run for Congress, will deploy to Afghanistan". Honolulu Star-Advertiser . August 17, 2011.
  33. ↑ "Hawaii ex-lawmaker Djou serves Afghanistan stint". foxnews.com. Associated Press. March 5, 2012. Retrieved April 1, 2012.
  34. ↑ "Hanabusa defeats Djou for US House". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Hearst Communications Inc. Associated Press. November 7, 2012. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
  35. ↑ "Hawaii General 2012 – State of Hawaii – Statewide" (PDF). Office of Elections. State of Hawaii. November 7, 2012. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
  36. ↑ Ian Scheuring (March 21, 2014). "State GOP chair confirms Djou congressional run". Hawaii News Now.
  37. ↑ "2014 Certified Election Results". Hawaii Office of Elections. State of Hawaii. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
  38. ↑ "What he's Djou-ing here". Honolulu Weekly. May 9, 2010. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
  39. ↑ "House Vote 317 – Allows Repeal of Ban on Gays in Military". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 31, 2010. Retrieved September 24, 2010.
  40. ↑ "DREAM Act Passes Congress". Therightperspective.org. December 13, 2010. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
  41. ↑ Djou, Charles (May 28, 2010). "Rep. Charles Djou (R-HI) calls for South Korea free trade agreement". The Hill .
  42. ↑ Martin, Eric; McQuillen, William (October 13, 2011). "Congress Approves Biggest U.S. Trade Agreement Since 1994". Business Week. Archived from the original on October 15, 2011. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
  43. ↑ HNN Staff (June 7, 2016). "Charles Djou announces he's running for mayor". Hawaii News Now. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
  44. ↑ Chad Blair (June 15, 2016). "Djou Gets Some Democratic Support In Campaign For Mayor". Civil Beat. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
  45. ↑ "Caldwell fails to clinch majority, will face off against Djou in November". Hawaii News Now. August 13, 2016. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  46. ↑ Honolulu, Hawaii Mayor: Results: Kirk Caldwell Leads, The New York Times , November 10, 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
  47. ↑ Mayor Kirk Caldwell Re-Elected Over Charles Djou, Honolulu Civil Beat , Chad Blair, November 8, 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
  48. ↑ Blair, Chad (March 7, 2016). "Charles Djou: Don't Vote Trump". Honolulu Civil Beat. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  49. ↑ Djou, Charles (March 19, 2018). "Charles Djou: Why I'm Leaving The GOP". Honolulu Civil Beat . Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  50. ↑ Nakaso, Dan (October 29, 2019). "Councilwoman Kymberly Pine enters fight in upcoming mayoral race" . Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  51. ↑ Wirkus, Elise. "Nine new ReFormers join Issue One to fix the broken political system". Issue One. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  52. ↑ Staff, H. N. N. (March 10, 2020). "Djou not running for mayor, but calls out 'incompetence' at city hall". Hawaii News Now. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  53. ↑ "Charles Djou: Why I'm Not Running For Honolulu Mayor". Honolulu Civil Beat. March 9, 2020. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  54. ↑ Beer, Tommy. "27 Prominent Republicans, Including Jeff Flake, Announce They'll Endorse Joe Biden". Forbes. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  55. 1 2 "About Charles – Team Djou". Team Djou. Honolulu, HI, USA: Djou for Hawaii. Archived from the original on November 6, 2012. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
  56. ↑ "Charles Djou". Honolulu Civil Beat. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
Charles Djou
Charles Djou.jpg
Secretary of the ABMC
Assumed office
May 2022
Hawaii House of Representatives
Preceded by
Iris Catalani
 Member of the Hawaii House of Representatives
from the 47th district
1999–2002		Succeeded by
Colleen Meyer
Political offices
Preceded by Member of the Honolulu City Council
from the 4th district
2002–2010		Succeeded by
Lee Donohue
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Hawaii's 1st congressional district
2010–2011		Succeeded by
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded byas Former US Representative Order of precedence of the United States
as Former US Representative		Succeeded byas Deputy US Secretary of State
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.