Josh Green (politician)

This article is about the American politician from Hawaii. For other people with the same name, see Joshua Green.

Jaime Ushiroda

​

(m. 2006)​

Josh Green
Official portrait, 2022
9th Governor of Hawaii
Incumbent
Assumed office December 5, 2022
Children	2
Residence(s)	Washington Place, Honolulu
Education	Swarthmore College (BS) Pennsylvania State University (MD)

Joshua Booth Green (born February 11, 1970) is an American politician and physician who has been serving as the 9th and current Governor of Hawaii since 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 15th Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii from 2018 to 2022 under Governor David Ige, and also served as member of the Hawaii Senate from 2008 to 2018, and a member of the Hawaii House of Representatives from 2004 to 2008.

Early life and education

Green was born on February 11, 1970, in Kingston, New York to a Jewish family. ^[1] He was raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. ^[2] He attended Quaker Valley High School, where he graduated as one of four valedictorians in 1988; as a Quaker Valley student, he was president of the Key Club and played on the school's soccer and tennis teams. ^[3]

Green received a Bachelor of Science in anthropology from Swarthmore College in 1992 and his Doctor of Medicine from the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center at Pennsylvania State University in 1997. ^{[1] [4]} In 2022, Swarthmore College awarded Green an honorary Doctorate of Science. ^[5]

Medical career

After completing his residency in 2000, Green joined the National Health Service Corps and was stationed in Hawaii as a physician for the Big Island. He practiced family medicine and worked in emergency rooms. At times, he was the only physician in the island's rural areas. ^[2] As of 2012, he remained a physician in the Big Island's rural emergency departments on weekends while he was a state senator. ^[6]

Green has been awarded Physician of the Year by the Hawaiʻi Medical Association twice in his career, first in 2009, and again in 2022 for his leadership and service during the COVID-19 pandemic. ^[7]

Early political career

Hawaii House of Representatives

Green was elected to the Hawaii House of Representatives in 2004. He represented the 6th district, based in a rural area of the western portion of the Big Island. Green served two terms before being elected to the Hawaii Senate in 2008.

Hawaii Senate

Green was first elected to the Hawaii Senate in 2008. He represented the 3rd district, which encompassed the southwestern portion of the Big Island. He was reelected in 2012 and 2014. As a state senator, Green served as majority leader and chaired the Committee on Health and Human Services.

In 2013, Green was honored as "Hawaii Legislator of the Year". ^[8] He championed the initiative to create an insurance mandate for children with autism via legislation known as Luke's Law. The legislation went into effect on January 1, 2016.

In 2018, Green fought to establish a legal safeguard so that parents with disabilities would no longer have their children taken away from them because of their disabilities. He also led the charge to raise the legal age to obtain tobacco products and electronic cigarettes from 18 to 21, making Hawaii the first U.S. state to do so.

Green opted not to run for reelection to the Senate in 2018. He was succeeded by Dru Kanuha, who now serves as majority leader.

Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii

See also: 2018 Hawaii gubernatorial election § Lieutenant governor

Green's official portrait as The Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii, 2018

In 2018, Green won the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor of Hawaii and was the running mate of incumbent Democratic Governor David Ige, who was running for a second term. In Hawaii, gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial candidates run in separate primaries but on the same ticket in the general election. Ige and Green won the general election on November 6, 2018. ^[9]

Ige tasked Green with addressing Hawaii's chronic homelessness crisis and called on him to use his background as a physician to address how mental illness and addiction affect Hawaii's homeless population. ^[10]

In 2019, shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic, Green led a team of over 75 doctors, nurses and other Hawaii health care workers on an emergency medical mission to Samoa. They aided in vaccination efforts against a measles epidemic across the region. ^[11]

On March 3, 2020, Ige appointed Green as the administration's liaison between the state and healthcare community as it pertains to COVID-19 preparedness and response. ^[12]

A poll conducted in April 2021 by Hawaii News Now found that Green had a 63% approval rating, with only 17% of voters disapproving of his work as lieutenant governor, while Ige held an approval rating of 22%. ^[13] It is speculated that Green's visibility throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and background as an emergency room doctor contributed to the difference. ^[14]

Governor of Hawaii

Green speaking in Tokyo, Japan in 2024.

2022 gubernatorial campaign

Main article: 2022 Hawaii gubernatorial election

In August 2019, Green announced he was considering a run for governor of Hawaii in the 2022 election. ^[15] He launched his campaign on February 10, 2022. ^[16]

Green won the Democratic primary on August 13, 2022; his running mate was Democratic state representative Sylvia Luke. On November 8, 2022, Green won the general election, defeating Republican nominee and former Hawaii Lieutenant Governor Duke Aiona in the general election. ^[17]

Tenure

Green was inaugurated as the ninth governor of Hawaii on December 5, 2022. ^[18] In his inaugural address, he addressed the rising cost of living and vowed to combat it through affordable housing and tax priorities. ^[18]

In March 2023, Green signed legislation expanding access to abortion and protecting health care providers from out-of-state prosecution. ^[19] In June, after similar laws were passed in New York and New Jersey, he signed legislation that expanded rights to carry a concealed weapon, while at the same time prohibiting guns in most public places, including hospitals, movie theaters, beaches, and bars, adding to the state's already strict gun laws. ^[20] In July, Green issued an emergency declaration on Hawaii's housing crisis that included an executive order streamlining housing construction in Hawaii and suspending various state and local land use regulations. ^[21]

In 2024 Green signed a bill to exempt medical services from General Excise Tax (GET) under Medicare, Medicaid, and TRICARE. ^[22]

In 2024 Green also signed healthcare legislation that emphasizes mental wellness and expands programs to strengthen Hawaii's healthcare workforce, as well as promoting Native Hawaiian resources. ^[23] Bills signed in the 2024 legislative session would make Hawaiian language learning more accessible in schools, both in early education and universities, and would mandate the creation of sustainable tourism strategies that would account for Native Hawaiian cultural values. ^[24] Green also signed policy into law on issues like regulated child and elderly safety, local agriculture and land practices, veteran support, and commercial ocean activities. ^[25]

Personal life

Green is Jewish. ^[26] He married attorney Jaime Ushiroda in 2006. The couple met when Ushiroda, a family law expert, was clerking for Suzanne Chun Oakland, who was chair of the state's Human Services committee. ^[27] They have two children. ^[28]

Green is a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers. ^[3]

Electoral history

2018

2018 Hawaii lieutenant gubernatorial election Democratic primary results ^[29]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Josh Green	74,845	31.4
	Democratic	Jill Tokuda	68,124	28.6
	Democratic	Bernard Carvalho	45,825	19.2
	Democratic	Kim Coco Iwamoto	34,243	14.3
	Democratic	Will Espero	15,463	6.5
Total votes			238,500	100.0

2022

2022 Hawaii gubernatorial election Democratic primary results ^[30]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Josh Green	158,161	62.91%
	Democratic	Vicky Cayetano	52,447	20.86%
	Democratic	Kai Kahele	37,738	15.01%
	Democratic	Van Tanabe	1,236	0.49%
	Democratic	Richard Kim	991	0.39%
	Democratic	David Bourgoin	590	0.23%
	Democratic	Clyde Lewman	249	0.10%
Total votes			251,412	100.0%

2022 Hawaii gubernatorial election ^[31]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Josh Green Sylvia Luke	261,025	63.16%	+0.49%
	Republican	Duke Aiona Seaula Tupa'i Jr.	152,237	36.84%	+3.14%
Total votes			413,262	100.0%
Turnout			417,215	48.44%	–4.24
Registered electors			861,358
	Democratic hold

References

1. "Joshua Green's Biography". Project Vote Smart . Retrieved December 5, 2013.
2. "Lieutenant Governor's Biography". ltgov.hawaii.gov. Archived from the original on August 16, 2022. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
3. DiVittorio, Michael (March 25, 2022). "Edgeworth native Josh Green reflects on his roots while running for Hawaiian office". TribLIVE.com. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
4. "Senator Josh Green". Honolulu, Hawaii: Hawaii State Legislature. Archived from the original on September 30, 2014. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
5. "Law Scholar, Documentarian, Lieutenant Governor, and Ballet Dancer Named 2022 Honorary Degree Recipients". www.swarthmore.edu. April 6, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
6. Brévart-Demm, Carol (October 2012). "From the ER to State Senate and Back". Swarthmore College Bulletin. Archived from the original on October 22, 2015.
7. "Lt. Governor Josh Green". Chaminade University of Honolulu. March 29, 2022. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
8. "Law Scholar, Documentarian, Lieutenant Governor, and Ballet Dancer Named 2022 Honorary Degree Recipients". www.swarthmore.edu. April 6, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
9. "Hawaii Lt. Gov. Josh Green wins Democratic primary for governor". CBS News. August 14, 2022. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
10. Nakaso, Dan (February 28, 2019). "Lt. Gov. Josh Green targets homelessness". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
11. Consillio, Kristen (December 4, 2019). "Lt. Gov. Josh Green assembles health care workers for emergency medical mission to Samoa". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
12. Ige, David. "Office Of The Governor — News Release — Gov. Ige Designates Lt. Gov. Green As Administration's Covid-19 Healthcare Liaison". Office of the Governor. State of Hawai`i. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
13. "Civil Beat/HNN Poll: Hawaii Voters Really, Really Like Lt. Gov. Josh Green". May 5, 2021.
14. "Hawaii is hosting its first open governor's race in years. Here's the field so far". Daily Kos. July 16, 2021.
15. Nagaoka, Ashley (February 24, 2021). "Believe it or not, race to replace Gov. Ige is already taking shape". Hawaii News Now . Retrieved August 16, 2019.
16. Dayton, Kevin (February 10, 2022). "Lt. Gov. Josh Green Officially Announces His Campaign For Governor". Honolulu Civil Beat. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
17. "Green thanks supporters after decisive primary election win in Democratic race for governor". Hawaii News Now . August 14, 2022. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
18. "In inauguration speech, Green pledges focus on easing cost of living with housing, tax priorities". Hawaii News Now. December 5, 2022. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
19. McAvoy, Audrey (March 23, 2023). New Hawaii law expands reproductive rights, protects providers. USNews. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
20. McAvoy, Audrey (June 3, 2023). Hawaii allows more concealed carry after US Supreme Court ruling, but bans guns in most places. Associated Press. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
21. Yerton, Stewart (July 18, 2023). "Hawaii Gov Takes Dramatic Action To Solve Housing Crisis. But Is He Going Too Far?". Honolulu Civil Beat.
22. "Bill exempts certain health care providers from GET". spectrumlocalnews.com. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
23. Yamamoto, Kacie (June 28, 2024). "Green signs bills addressing health care systems into law". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
24. none (June 30, 2024). "Green signs bills supporting Native Hawaiians". The Garden Island. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
25. "Gov. Green highlights some of 253 bills signed into law | Maui Now". | Gov. Green highlights some of 253 bills signed into law. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
26. Klug, Lisa (July 20, 2016). "A small island of Judaism in Hawaiian politics - Tiny but stalwart, the Jewish contingent on America's youngest state maintains a unique, and strong, sense of identity". Times of Israel . I was the only Jewish child in my school growing up and people looked to my family to explain Judaism and the High Holidays to them," says Green, who grew up Reform and lives in Kailua-Kona in Hawaii, the Big Island.
27. Cataluna, Lee (November 9, 2022). "Hawaii's Next First Lady Brings Career Experience And Life Lessons To The Role". Civil Beat. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
28. "Lieutenant Governor's Biography". ltgov.hawaii.gov. Archived from the original on August 16, 2022. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
29. "Primary Election 2018 -State of Hawaii – Statewide" (PDF). Hawaii Office of Elections. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
30. "August 13, 2022 Primary Election - Statewide Summary" (PDF). State of Hawaii - Office of Elections.
31. "GENERAL ELECTION 2022 - Statewide - November 8, 2022" (PDF). Hawaii Office of Elections. November 9, 2022. Retrieved November 13, 2022.

External links

• Governor of the State of Hawai'i official government website
• Josh Green for Hawaii campaign website
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Profile at the Hawaii State Legislature (archived)
• Profile at Vote Smart

Party political offices
Preceded by Shan Tsutsui	Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii 2018	Succeeded by Sylvia Luke
Preceded by David Ige	Democratic nominee for Governor of Hawaii 2022	Most recent
Political offices
Preceded by Doug Chin	Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii 2018–2022	Succeeded by Sylvia Luke
Preceded by David Ige	Governor of Hawaii 2022–present	Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by Kamala Harris 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 Mike Johnson as Speaker of the House
Preceded by Mike Dunleavy as Governor of Alaska	Order of precedence of the United States Outside Hawaii	Succeeded by Steve Scalise as House Majority Leader